Pádraig O'Sullivan (Cork North Central, Fianna Fail)
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424. To ask the Minister for Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation if she will review the criteria required in order to be eligible for the restart grant for small businesses in view of the fact that it excludes many that do not operate from a commercial property; if her attention has been drawn to the fact that many of these small businesses that cannot avail of the restart grant will have severe difficulty in restarting their businesses; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [7484/20]

Heather Humphreys (Cavan-Monaghan, Fine Gael)
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The application form for the new €250m Restart Grant providing direct grant aid to micro and small businesses is now available online on all local authority websites since Friday 22^ndMay. Eligible businesses who have remained open, or that reopened under phase 1 on 18^thMay or that are due to reopen in Phase 2 on 8^thJune under the Government’s Roadmap for Reopening Society and Business to ease the COVID-19 restrictions are encouraged to apply now for the Restart Grant. These applications will be prioritised for payment by the local authorities.

The Restart Grant is aimed at helping micro and small businesses with the costs associated with reopening and re-employing workers following COVID-19 closures.

I understand the concerns relating to business that do not operate from commercial premises.

However, some tradespersons and service providers that operate on a mobile basis or that could continue to work remotely have been better placed to continue to trade and many don’t have the same levels of losses, of ongoing overheads or reopening costs that a fixed premises business will have. Within the funding available, the priority has been to support those who have suffered most, including closure of the business, but who will still have incurred ongoing costs.

We are also focussed on businesses that have continued to employ people, with the aid of the Temporary Wage Support Scheme, so that those jobs will be retained as soon as the business re-opens.

The eligibility criteria will be subject to ongoing review and we will continue to take on board issues as they arise.