Leo Varadkar (Dublin West, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

The Minister for Finance, Deputy Donohoe, is in charge of that scheme. He is working on it. The scheme is for businesses that are closed as a result of Covid restrictions or that have seen a 75% reduction in turnover, but the businesses have to have a premises. If we open it to all businesses that do not have a premises, it would be a very different scheme and a much more expensive one. Having said that, however, we are trying to work around issues associated with businesses that need financial support but that are getting nothing. Many are in the arts and tourism sectors and they are going to be helped out through a different fund and budget under the control of the Minister for Tourism, Culture, Arts, Gaeltacht, Sport and Media, Deputy Catherine Martin. If, however, we find businesses that fall between schemes and get no grant, we will try to come up with a solution for them. I hate the term "under constant review" but the scheme is one of those schemes we accept will need to be amended as we go along so businesses that have been closed can get a grant and survive.

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