Mr Deputy Speaker, Sir, with regard to local artists and the Status of the Artist Act, my Ministry has initiated a review of the legislation in line with the measures announced in the Government Programme 2025-2029. The aim is to ensure that the Act better reflects the realities, expectations and aspirations of the artistic community while aligning with international standards defining cultural workers. Mr Deputy Speaker, Sir, it must be noted that this Act was conceived and introduced under the previous Government without adequate consultation with artists. As a result, many in the artistic community expressed dissatisfaction, feeling that the law did not sufficiently protect their rights nor reflect their realities. In fact, during the drafting process, l’Union des Artistes had voiced strong reservations regarding the content and objective of the proposed legislation. According to the Union, the Act in its form, failed to provide adequate protection and recognition to Mauritian artists. Mr Deputy Speaker, Sir, it is worth recalling that during the debates on this very Bill in 2023, the hon. Member himself, still on the Opposition side, had raised several concerns regarding the lack of an appropriate definition of the term ‘artist’, the insufficient social protection mechanism for cultural workers and the limited consultation with the artistic

58 community. The hon. Member had also emphasised the need to align the law with UNESCO’s definition of an artist and to ensure that Mauritian artists are recognised as full- fledged workers with equitable rights and conditions. Mr Deputy Speaker, Sir, the new Government shares these same concerns. We are, in fact, addressing precisely these shortcomings identified at that time through a comprehensive and inclusive review process aimed at strengthening the legal, social and professional framework for our artists. We firmly believe that the voice of our artists must be at the very centre of any cultural policy. We have therefore deemed it necessary to pause the implementation of the Act and undertake a comprehensive review to ensure that it truly serves the interests of Mauritian artists and align with international best practices. Mr Deputy Speaker, Sir, in this respect, my Ministry has launched a national consultative process through the Convention Nationale sur les Arts et la Culture, bringing together artists, cultural operators and other stakeholders to collectively assess the sector and propose a strategic roadmap for its development. I am personally attending all sessions to hear directly from artists, including their views on the Status of the Artist Act. Once consultations in both Mauritius and Rodrigues are completed, my Ministry will consolidate the views expressed and proceed with the review so that the new framework truly reflects the aspirations of our artists. Mr Deputy Speaker, Sir, unlike in the past where artists were not sufficiently consulted, our government is adopting a participatory and democratic approach. The voice of our artists will remain at the centre of our cultural policy and the review of the Status of the Artist Act will be treated as a matter of priority to ensure its implementation at the earliest for the benefit of all our artists. Thank you.

Yes?

M. le président, l’honorable ministre peut-il indiquer à la Chambre si un registre national des artistes a été créé et quel est le nombre d’artistes qui y sont inscrits à ce jour ?

We are actually working on this, hon. Member.

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Une dernière question. Peut-on savoir si son ministère a prévu des mesures pour soutenir les jeunes artistes émergeant dans les régions urbaines comme dans les rurales, cela afin d’assurer une application équitable de la loi sur tout le territoire mauricien ?

As I stated in my reply, we are working on this together with artists to know their grievances and then, a road map will be worked on.

The Second Member for Rivière des Anguilles and Souillac! PRIVATE HEALTHCARE SECTOR – FEES & CHARGES – FIXING OF QUANTUM – MEASURES