Joe O'Brien (Dublin Fingal, Green Party)
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242. To ask the Minister for Finance his plans to increase the Covid restrictions support scheme limit from €5,000 considering the recent move to level 5 and in view of the fact that the €5,000 limit is not sustainable for many medium sized businesses. [1273/21]

Paschal Donohoe (Dublin Central, Fine Gael)
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As the Minister will be aware, the CRSS is a targeted support for businesses significantly impacted by restrictions introduced by the Government under public health regulations to combat the effects of the Covid-19 pandemic. The support is available to businesses who carry on a trade from a business premises located in a region subject to restrictions introduced in line with the Living with Covid-19 Plan. To qualify under the scheme a business must, under specific terms of the Covid restrictions, be required to either prohibit or significantly restrict, customers from accessing their business premises to purchase goods or services, with the result that the business either has to temporarily close or to operate at a significantly reduced level. 

Support provided under CRSS is intended to enable businesses to meet normal fixed costs associated with their business premises such as rent, insurance, utilities and so on, during the period in which they are subject to such restrictions.

Section 485 (7) of the Taxes Consolidation Act 1997 was inserted by the Finance Act 2020 which was signed by the President in December 2020. This provides that the amount of the Covid Restrictions Support Scheme payment in respect of any one business premises will be the lower of

- 10% of turnover up to €20,000 and 5% of turnover over this amount, and

- €5,000 per week.  

This ensures that while any size business may access the scheme, the main beneficiaries of CRSS are SMEs and high turnover/low fixed costs businesses do not disproportionately benefit. I have no plans to amend the scheme.