Louise O'Reilly (Dublin Fingal, Sinn Fein)
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55. To ask the Minister for Trade, Enterprise and Employment the engagement he has had to date with workers representatives regarding the Covid-19 recovery and the July stimulus package; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [17078/20]

Leo Varadkar (Dublin West, Fine Gael)
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The Stimulus Package being announced by the Government is a culmination of work across a number of Government Departments . Each Government Department has carefully considered how the impact of COVID-19 along with associated economic challenges have affected the sectors under their remits. As part of this, Departments will have engaged across a range of stakeholders especially sectoral representative organisations. The Departments have reflected on the inputs received, as well as their own analysis, and brought the conclusions of same for discussion centrally at the relevant Senior Officials Group.

As I have said before, the Stimulus Package must be broad in reach to assist the variety of businesses most affected. I have also noted that the package is on a continuum of Government measures and represents the next step in how we stabilise the business impact. I have underlined that in developing the stimulus package, we must look ahead to ensuring economic recovery. The National Economic Plan, to be developed in parallel with the next budget, will be crucial in this respect. It will go beyond the issue of business supports and set out a range of actions to be developed across Government to realise economic recovery. All Government Departments will have a role in achieving this ambition. In developing contributions to the National Economic Plan, I would expect full engagement with stakeholders including worker representatives not only through fora such as the Labour Employer Economic Forum but bilaterally as well. Indeed, both I and my colleague Minister English have committed to meeting the unions to discuss a range of matters.

Steven Matthews (Wicklow, Green Party)
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56. To ask the Minister for Trade, Enterprise and Employment if his attention has been drawn to situations in which a business pays rates to multiple local authorities under a single trading name; and if the qualification for the restart grant is based on the overall turnover nationally for the business (details supplied). [17241/20]

Leo Varadkar (Dublin West, Fine Gael)
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Under the terms and conditions of the current Restart Grant scheme and for further clarity, the qualifying criteria is essentially that the applicant business in its totality must not have more than 50 staff overall and have a maximum turnover of €5 million.

A business with a number of stores in one Local Authority region or in several, that each has a rates bill, is eligible to apply for the equivalent of the 2019 rates bill for each store, subject currently to the maximum of €10k grant for each store.

In addition, the local authorities have been instructed to consider applications on a case-by-case basis. The Scheme also provides for an appeal to the relevant Local Authority within 7 days of the the refusal of any application.