Government criticised for “sloppy” handling of Basic Income for Artists Scheme

The government’s announcement that the Basic Income For Artists Scheme will be continued has been hailed as a progressive win by international outlets – but politicians closer to home are calling for clarity on the finances and timetable of the scheme.

Introduced by the Greens in the previous government, Ireland became the first country in the world to pay artists a flat monthly fee, with the pilot scheme running from 2022 and artists being paid €325 a week.

2,000 eligible artists will be selected to receive the payment, with applications opening in May; the payment scheme will last for three years.

Further funding for the scheme was announced in last October’s Budget, with surprise that the Fianna Fáil/Fine Gael/independent government kept the scheme, considering their ambivalence to embrace anything related to their former coalition partners.

Minister Patrick O’Donovan said the continuation of the scheme is a “major milestone for the arts in Ireland and how we support the arts.”

“I am particularly pleased that the research my department conducted provided the Government with a clear evidence base upon which to make that decision. Ireland is a global leader in the area of artist supports because of the BIA.”

News of the scheme went international; Minister O’Donovan told the BBC in January that the scheme has made Ireland “the envy of the world,”, adding “it’s  the same as education, it’s the same as health, it’s the same as social protection or justice or filling potholes.”

The Guardian reported on the scheme, noting it could “reduce artists’ need for alternative work and boost their creativity.”

Research from the Department of Culture found that those who took part in the initial pilot scheme saw reduced anxiety and less reliance on supplementary income.

SIPTU Sector Organiser Robbie Purfield said the continuation of the scheme is an “important step towards tackling the chronic income insecurity that so many cultural workers face.”

Purfield noted  the scheme is capped at 2,000 places “because of the budget envelope provided for a full calendar year.”

“SIPTU will continue to press for an expansion in the number of recipients, for ongoing review of the payment level, so that the scheme keeps pace with living costs and reflects the value Ireland places on cultural work.”

The opposition has tentatively welcomed news that the scheme will continue, but said that there are still significant issues surrounding it.

“While many artists will take solace in the fact that a follow-on scheme is being put in place after the success of the basic income for artists pilot scheme, many of the concerns raised by the sector over the last three years appear to have been ignored in the design of the new scheme.

Sinn Féin art spokesperson Aengus Ó Snodaigh said, “while many artists will take solace in the fact that a follow-on scheme is being put in place after the success of the basic income for artists pilot scheme, many of the concerns raised by the sector over the last three years appear to have been ignored in the design of the new scheme.”

The Dublin South Central TD noted, “it is very disappointing that, despite all the time the government has had to develop a follow-on scheme over the last three and a half years, the pilot scheme is ending with no funding set to be made available to artists until September at the earliest.”

He warned that artists are facing a “cliff-edge” and that the issue needed to be rectified sooner rather than later.

“This period of over half a year without funding is exactly the cliff-edge for the arts Sinn Féin and I have been warning about from the start, and artists have grown reliant on the payment,” he said.

Social Democrats TD and arts spokesperson Sineád Gibney said  “the government’s handling of this issue has been shambolic, with artists participating in the pilot project now facing a financial cliff edge. These payments are due to end this month, and it is completely unacceptable that a successor scheme is not likely to be in place until at least September.”

The Dublin Rathdown TD said, “this has caused considerable anxiety to artists who don’t know if they will be eligible or given priority for the next phase of the scheme.”

She criticised the government for a “lack of planning” on the issue.

“It is a slap in the face for those artists who now have to wait until applications open for the replacement scheme to learn if they will qualify.”

“Next month, government ministers will be relying on Irish arts and culture to open diplomatic doors for them as they travel around the world for St Patrick’s Day – yet, at the same time, they are slamming the door in the face of Irish artists here,” she remarked.