Written answers

Tuesday, 1 December 2020

Department of Finance

Covid-19 Pandemic Supports

Photo of Pádraig O'SullivanPádraig O'Sullivan (Cork North Central, Fianna Fail)
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202. To ask the Minister for Finance if a business whose business activity is not carried out at its business premises will be eligible to receive the Covid restrictions support scheme; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [39691/20]

Photo of Cormac DevlinCormac Devlin (Dún Laoghaire, Fianna Fail)
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213. To ask the Minister for Finance the reason the Covid restrictions support scheme omits the business event industry; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [39807/20]

Photo of Cormac DevlinCormac Devlin (Dún Laoghaire, Fianna Fail)
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214. To ask the Minister for Finance the reason the Covid restrictions support scheme omits the Irish circus industry; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [39814/20]

Photo of Cormac DevlinCormac Devlin (Dún Laoghaire, Fianna Fail)
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216. To ask the Minister for Finance if his attention has been drawn to the case of a company (details supplied); and if he will make a statement on the matter. [39832/20]

Photo of Pádraig O'SullivanPádraig O'Sullivan (Cork North Central, Fianna Fail)
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238. To ask the Minister for Finance the number of businesses in County Cork that have qualified for support under the Covid restrictions support scheme; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [40391/20]

Photo of Paschal DonohoePaschal Donohoe (Dublin Central, Fine Gael)
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I propose to take Questions Nos. 202, 213, 214, 216 and 238 together.

The Covid Restrictions Support Scheme (CRSS) was announced in the Budget on 13 October 2020. The details are set out in Finance Bill 2020 and guidelines on the operation of the scheme, including the eligibility criteria, are available on the Revenue website:

(www.revenue.ie/en/corporate/press-office/budget-information/2021/crss-guidelines.pdf).

The support is available to companies and self-employed individuals who carry on a trade or trading activities from a business premises located in a region subject to restrictions, introduced in line with the Living with Covid-19 Plan, with the result that the business is required to prohibit or considerably restrict customers from accessing their business premises. Generally, this refers to Covid restrictions at Level 3, 4 or 5 of the Government’s Plan for Living with Covid-19 but certain businesses may qualify for the support where lower levels of restrictions are in operation.

The CRSS applies to businesses carrying on trading activities from a business premises located in a region subject to restrictions, which requires the business to prohibit or considerably restrict customers from accessing their business premises and as a result, is operating at less than 25% of turnover in 2019.

Where restrictions are eased and a business is no longer required to prohibit or considerably restrict customers from accessing their business premises, then they no longer qualify for CRSS.

Where a business does not ordinarily operate from a fixed business premises located in a region that is subject to restrictions, such as an events company or a circus, that business will not meet the eligibility criteria.

The CRSS is an additional measure for businesses in a region subject to significant Covid-19 restrictions. Businesses who do not qualify under this scheme may be entitled to support under various measures put in place by Government, including existing supports available under the COVID Pandemic Unemployment Payment (PUP) and the Employment Wage Subsidy Scheme (EWSS) and the range of measures announced as part of Budget 2021 to support particular sectors including Tourism and live entertainment. They may also be eligible to warehouse VAT and PAYE (Employer) debts and also excess payments received by employers under the Temporary Wage Subsidy Scheme, and the balance of Income Tax for 2019 and Preliminary Tax for 2020 for self-assessed taxpayers if applicable.

Deputies will be aware that the Finance Bill is currently progressing through the Houses of the Oireachtas and I have no plans to extend eligibility of the scheme.

Revenue is publishing regular statistical updates on the operation of the Covid Restrictions Support Scheme (CRSS), which are available at: .

These statistics include, among other items, the number of premises for which a CRSS payment has been claimed to date by county. The statistics will be updated every Thursday with the most recent data available and published at the same link.

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