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Irish Independent

Arts Minister Patrick O'Donovan backs continuation of state scheme that pays struggling artists €325 a week

The BIA was introduced in 2022 as a three-year pilot project to help artists deal with precarious incomes. The first of its kind in Ireland, the BIA gives a payment of €325 per week to 2,000 artists and creative arts workers. It was massively oversubscribed when introduced, with more than 8,200 eligible applications received when it opened. With the scheme due to come to an end in August, uncertainty over the BIA's future has caused considerable anxiety within the sector. While Mr O'Donovan is understood to support its retention and expansion, a government decision has yet to be made. A new report into the scheme is set to be published this week, for which more than 50 artists were interviewed about their experience receiving the BIA. The findings of the report, ­conducted by independent social research consultant Jenny Dagg, were broadly positive and found it provided artists with greater financial security. It found that the scheme reduced the stress and anxiety of recipients and helped them meet their basic needs. For young and recently qualified artists, it gave them the ability to pay their rent and meant they reconsidered emigrating. The minister was clear that his ambition is to retain, extend and expand the Basic Income for the Arts Others reported the BIA gave their profession legitimacy and that it was not perceived as just a hobby or a lifestyle. Last week, Mr O'Donovan met with the National Campaign for the Arts. A senior government source said that the minister did not want to see the benefits of the scheme 'dismissed out of hand'. 'The minister was clear that his ambition is to retain, extend and expand the Basic Income for the Arts – and that individual artists should not bear responsibility for any failures of governance by people in the Arts Council,' the source said. 'The minister is determined to ensure that the social, personal and economic benefits of the BIA scheme aren't dismissed out of hand. 'Some people know the price of everything but the value of nothing. The return on investment here is worth the expenditure, anyone can see that, and the benefits for wider society are huge too,' they added. A source within the Department of Arts said the 'objective analysis of the economic impact of the scheme supports the minister's view, and shows that the overall benefit is significant for both the recipient and the wider arts sector'. Some unexpected benefits reported by BIA recipients included being given a sense of value as well as the ability to start a pension. There were some challenges noted in the research, which included those with disabilities who reported experiencing reductions in their medical and disability support. This was 'as a result of accepting the BIA payment and obstacles around accepting work that impacts welfare thresholds'. Some artists reported their relationships with other artists not in receipt of the BIA as tense and found they told only people close to them that they were in receipt of the support. Others reported they felt guilty having received the BIA, 'knowing the level of scarcity, deprivation and desperation that fellow artists operate at'. Others said an unexpected challenge of the scheme was dealing with financial insecurity if the scheme ended.