Cabinet split over reopening of live events
Arts Minister Catherine Martin voicing "disappointment" that her plan to reopen the sector was not approved by the Cabinet's Covid sub-committee. File picture of the Electric Picnic festival: Sam Boal/Rollingnews.ie
A split has emerged at Cabinet over the reopening of the live events sector, with Arts Minister Catherine Martin voicing "disappointment" that her plan to reopen the sector was not approved by the Cabinet's Covid sub-committee.
The minister has now asked to be included in the upcoming meetings of the sub-committee as the live events sector continues to remain shuttered after 17 months, with thousands of jobs at risk.
At a much-hyped virtual meeting with more than 20 representatives from the sector, the Minister was unable to supply the reopening date for live entertainment, nor to provide a detailed roadmap to that end.
A source at the meeting said that Ms Martin told the meeting’s attendees that she had written to the three Government parties’ leaders two weeks ago to express “her deep concern for the industry and unhappiness with (the) pace of reopening” and the “disparity” between how sports and music events have been treated.
The minister said she had presented a roadmap with dates for consideration to the Cabinet Sub-Committee on August 6 and had been “disappointed it wasn’t approved”, according to the source.
“She said that despite her best efforts and countless appeals on behalf of the sector she could not provide them with a reopening date today,” the source said.
“But she guaranteed them that they were pushing an open door with her and she would continue to seek the clarity they need.”
It’s understood that the minister has asked to be included on the Covid Committee for the next two meetings with a view to finalising the reopening roadmap.
The next update to Ireland’s reopening is not scheduled to be announced before September 1.
Sunil Sharpe, a DJ and representative of Give Us The Night, who attended the virtual meeting, said that while he hadn’t been expecting a definitive date from the meeting as “that isn’t the Government’s form”, nevertheless “we can’t just be given a date at the end of August and told that doors can reopen in a few days”.
“There are too many other considerations like licensing. We definitely need a window of time to prepare for returning," he said.
He spoke critically of the fact that Ms Martin isn’t on the Cabinet Covid Sub-Committee given the events industry is her remit and remains the only sector yet to reopen.
“Why isn’t she on it? She’s asked to be on it so why isn’t she when we’re the only ones not yet open?” he said.
Representatives of the sector spoke of their 'incredible disappointment' at not receiving a definitive date for reopening.
Matt McGranaghan, spokesperson for the Music and Entertainment Association of Ireland (MEAI) said that his grouping is “incredibly disappointed that we don’t have commitment to a date that we so desperately need and want”.
He said, however, that Ms Martin’s address to the meeting had been “impassioned” and he felt displayed “genuine frustration and anger” on her part “at the fact we aren’t reopened”.
He said it is “really quite bizarre” that the minister isn’t on the Cabinet Covid Subcommittee, given her responsibility for the sector.
“We are now making an appeal directly to the Taoiseach in order to show the respect to the sector that it deserves after 18 months,” Mr McGranaghan said.
He said that the Government is treating the industry “as one size fits all”.
“But there could and should be opportunities, that is beyond any shadow of a doubt,” he said.
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