Paschal Donohoe (Dublin Central, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I propose to take Questions Nos. 6, 14, 16, 25, 37, 41, 50, 54 and 62 together.

The business resumption support scheme is a new support for businesses impacted by Covid-19. It is administered by Revenue. To qualify for the scheme, a business must carry on a trade or trading activities the profits from which are chargeable to tax under case I of Schedule D. The business must possess a valid tax clearance and continue to maintain tax clearance for the duration of the application period. Under the scheme, businesses with a turnover that reduced by 75% in the reference period, that is, 1 September 2020 to 31 August 2021, compared with 2019, will be eligible to apply for a once-off payment based on a percentage of their average weekly turnover for 2019, subject to a maximum payment of €15,000, provided they meet the qualifying criteria. The payment is calculated as three times the sum of 10% of the average weekly turnover, up to €20,000, and 5% on any excess of average weekly turnover above €20,000, subject to a maximum payment of €15,000.

Registration for the scheme opened on 6 September 2021. Once registered, eligible businesses can make a claim at any time up to 30 November 2021 for a single-payment support via the Revenue online service. I am advised by Revenue that, as of 16 September, 420 businesses, covering 438 trades, have applied for the scheme. A total of 154 businesses have claimed the BRSS in Dublin, as well as 44 in Cork, 20 in Kerry, 18 in Mayo and 14 in Westmeath. When there are fewer than ten businesses registered for any scheme, the exact number is not provided due to Revenue's statistical disclosure protocols, which support the obligation to protect taxpayer confidentiality. In counties Carlow, Cavan, Donegal, Kildare, Kilkenny, Laois, Leitrim, Longford, Monaghan, Offaly, Roscommon, Sligo and Wicklow, between one and nine companies have applied for the BRSS in each case.

Revenue publishes detailed statistics each week on the operation of Covid-19 support schemes, which now include information on the BRSS. These statistics are available on the Revenue website.

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