Question

To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, what assessment her Department has made of the adequacy of the outcomes of Ireland's Basic Income for the Arts pilot scheme; and if she will (a) commission an assessment of a similar pilot in the UK and (b) consider the Isle of Wight as a potential pilot location.

The Government is not currently considering basic income for artists. We believe that British creators are second-to-none and are committed to giving them security and a regulatory and fiscal environment where creativity can flourish. This is exemplified with our recent Employment Rights Act, our appointment of freelance champions Leila D’Aronville and Lizzie Crump and our 5% uplift to National Portfolio Organisations, giving certainty for staff and freelancers.