Written answers

Wednesday, 3 June 2020

Department of Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation

Covid-19 Pandemic Supports

Photo of Sorca ClarkeSorca Clarke (Longford-Westmeath, Sinn Fein)
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489. To ask the Minister for Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation the number of businesses in County Westmeath eligible for the restart grant. [9553/20]

Photo of Sorca ClarkeSorca Clarke (Longford-Westmeath, Sinn Fein)
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490. To ask the Minister for Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation the number of businesses in County Westmeath not eligible for the restart grant. [9554/20]

Photo of Sorca ClarkeSorca Clarke (Longford-Westmeath, Sinn Fein)
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491. To ask the Minister for Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation the number of businesses in County Longford eligible for the restart grant. [9555/20]

Photo of Heather HumphreysHeather Humphreys (Cavan-Monaghan, Fine Gael)
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I propose to take Questions Nos. 489 to 491, inclusive, together.

On Friday, May 15, 2020 the Government announced details of the new €250m Restart Grant providing direct grant aid to micro and small businesses. The grant is a contribution towards the cost of re-opening or keeping a business operational.

To avail of the Restart Grant, all businesses in County Westmeath and County Longford that meet the following criteria can apply for the grant:

- be a commercial business and be in the Local Authorities’ Commercial Rates Payment System;

- have a turnover of less than €5m and have 50 or less employees;

- have suffered a projected 25%+ loss in revenue from 1 April 2020 to 30th June 2020.  

- commit to remain open or to reopen if it was closed, and,

- the business must also declare the intention to retain employees that are benefitting from the Temporary Wage Subsidy Scheme (TWSS).

Eligible businesses who have stayed open throughout the crisis, as well as those who are reopening under Phase 1 (from 18 May) and Phase 2 (8 June) of the Government’s Roadmap for Reopening Society and Business, are encouraged to apply first for the Restart Grant. These applications will be prioritised for payment by the local authorities.

Online application forms for the new Restart Grant are now available on each Local Authority website.

Photo of Ruairi Ó MurchúRuairi Ó Murchú (Louth, Sinn Fein)
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492. To ask the Minister for Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation if she will consider a separate scheme for businesses which legitimately do not pay rates and which cannot avail of the rate-based rebate scheme. [9577/20]

Photo of Ruairi Ó MurchúRuairi Ó Murchú (Louth, Sinn Fein)
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493. To ask the Minister for Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation if she will consider a scheme for businesses whose rates are significantly higher in 2020 than they were in 2019, due to rates revaluation and other factors and which are not sufficient as a restart grant; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [9578/20]

Photo of Heather HumphreysHeather Humphreys (Cavan-Monaghan, Fine Gael)
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I propose to take Questions Nos. 492 and 493 together.

Application forms for the new €250m Restart Grant providing direct grant aid to micro and small businesses are now available online on all local authority websites.  The grant is a contribution towards the cost of re-opening or keeping a business operational.

To qualify for the Restart Grant, a business must be in a rateable premises and;

- have a turnover of less than €5m and have 50 or less employees.

- have suffered a projected 25%+ loss in revenue from 1 April 2020 to 30th June 2020.  

- commit to remain open or to reopen if it was closed.  The business must also declare the intention to retain employees that are benefitting from the Temporary Wage Subsidy Scheme (TWSS).

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

The Restart Grant support is just one part of the wider €12bn package of supports for firms of all sizes, which includes the wage subsidy scheme, the pandemic unemployment payment for the self-employed, grants, low-cost loans, write-off of commercial rates and deferred tax liabilities, all of which will help to improve cashflow amongst SMEs. 

Full details on all COVID19 supports for business are available at:

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