Paul Kehoe (Wexford, Fine Gael)
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19. To ask the Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment the reason clubs (details supplied) have been excluded from Covid-19 support schemes; if there is a plan to include them in a scheme; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [8334/21]

Leo Varadkar (Dublin West, Fine Gael)
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I am keenly aware that all types of businesses are making a continued massive sacrifice to protect their communities and I am committed to ensuring that the Government will offer as much assistance and support as possible.

The €7bn July Stimulus package and Budget 2021 provided a significant package of tax and expenditure measures to build the resilience of the economy and to help vulnerable but viable businesses across all sectors. These measures include the Wage Subsidy Scheme, the Pandemic Unemployment Payment, grants, low-cost loans, write-off of commercial rates and deferred tax liabilities, all of which will help to improve cashflow amongst self-employed. Details of the wide range of supports available are on my Department’s website at

As announced in the July Stimulus, the Enterprise Support Grant was extended to assist eligible self-employed who exit the PUP or jobseekers schemes, to re-start their business. Further information is available at www.gov.ie.

On the 9th of December, following engagement with the Arts sector and other self-employed sectors my colleague Minister Heather Humphreys T.D., Minister for Social Protection, announced the doubling of the PUP threshold to assist those who are trying to restart their businesses and will allow self-employed people to take on intermittent jobs without losing their entitlement to the PUP.

In addition to the CRSS and other measures announced in the budget, such as the €50 million fund for live entertainment, on 9^thFebruary I announced a new €60m Scheme, called the COVID-19 Business Aid Scheme (CBAS), which is being developed to provide grants to businesses ineligible for the Government’s other existing schemes designed to help with fixed costs.

I can assure the Deputy that all COVID-19 Business Schemes, are closely monitored and will be adapted as circumstances dictate.

My colleague, Minister Catherine Martin T.D., Minister for Media, Tourism, Arts, Culture, Sport and the Gaeltacht, may be able to provide more specific details assistance for clubs and on a roadmap to recovery for the events and hospitality industry, for which she has lead responsibility.

Holly Cairns (Cork South West, Social Democrats)
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21. To ask the Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment if his attention has been drawn to a tailored support package available to the weddings industry in Scotland; his plans to introduce a similar package here; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [8368/21]

Leo Varadkar (Dublin West, Fine Gael)
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I understand the enormous difficulties the wedding industry is facing as the pandemic rolls on. I fully appreciate that it is one of the industries worst affected and for the longest and know that as we enter a second year of restrictions many in the sector must be fearing for their future. I do hope that once the pandemic is over the wedding sector will have a number of good years with so many weddings postponed. In the meantime, the Government wants to make sure as many businesses as possible survive to see that day.

The financial support the Government is providing businesses and workers affected by the pandemic is unprecedented. Almost a million people of working age are now in receipt of weekly payments including the Pandemic Unemployment Payment, Employment Wage Subsidy and Jobseekers Benefit or Allowance. Support for business includes the weekly CRSS payment for businesses forced to close their doors to the public, reduced VAT rates, a commercial rates holiday, the Sustaining Enterprise Fund, the Tourism Business Continuity Scheme as well as low-cost loans.

Budget 2021 provided a significant package of tax and expenditure measures to build the resilience of the economy and to help vulnerable but viable businesses across all sectors. Details of the wide range of supports available are on my Department’s website at.

These measures are in addition to the €7 billion July Stimulus of enterprise measures, which includes the Wage Subsidy Scheme extended through 2021, the Pandemic Unemployment Payment, grants, low-cost loans, write-off of commercial rates and deferred tax liabilities, all of which will help to improve cashflow amongst self-employed. We are providing for an extension of the tax warehousing scheme to include repayments of Temporary Wage Subsidy Scheme funds owed by employers and preliminary tax obligations for adversely affected businesses.

As announced in the July Stimulus, the Enterprise Support Grant was extended to assist eligible self-employed, including sole traders, who exit the PUP or jobseekers schemes, to re-start their business. Further information is available at www.gov.ie.

On the 9th of December, following engagement with the Arts sector and other self-employed sectors my colleague Minister Heather Humphreys T.D., Minister for Social Protection, announced the doubling of the PUP threshold from the current €480 over four weeks to €960 over an eight-week period effective immediately. This measure is to assist those who are trying to restart their businesses and will allow self-employed people to take on intermittent jobs without losing their entitlement to the PUP.

The Government also announced the provision of support of €50m for the live entertainment sector in Budget 2021. This will include measures for the commercial entertainment sector and will support live entertainment across the country. The 2021 supports for the live entertainment sector will be the subject of further consultation with stakeholders. It will also be informed by the pilot live performance scheme in 2020 which is being rolled out now.

The three main schemes, the CRSS, EWSS and PUP compare favourably with any other packages on offer in other countries. The new scheme announced this week, the COVID Business Aid Scheme will provide funding of up to €8,000 for those businesses that are in receipt of a rates bill from their local authority. While the grant is modest, it will help smaller businesses in particular to cover these costs – rent, insurance, utilities, security.

The Government is very much open to proposals from the wedding sector as to how we can help further. However, Government schemes to support businesses are generally designed to help meet fixed costs that cannot be avoided, and it is not possible to provide compensation for loss of personal income or profits.

My colleagues, Minister Catherine Martin T.D., Minister for Media, Tourism, Arts, Culture, Sport and the Gaeltacht and Minister Charlie McConalogue, Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine may be able to provide more specific details on the events and hospitality industry and details on supports for the food sector respectively.

Neale Richmond (Dublin Rathdown, Fine Gael)
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22. To ask the Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment the Covid-19 supports available to businesses which do not fall into either the established relevant business activity or new relevant business activity under the Covid restrictions support scheme and as such cannot avail of its supports; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [8433/21]

Leo Varadkar (Dublin West, Fine Gael)
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The Government has put in place a comprehensive package to help businesses and workers during the pandemic, including the Employment Wage Subsidy Scheme (EWSS), the Pandemic Unemployment Payment (PUP), the COVID-19 Restrictions Support Scheme (CRSS), low-cost loans, the deferral and warehousing of tax liabilities and the waiver of commercial rates. Details of the wide range of COVID-19 schemes are available on my Department’s website at .

On 9th February last I announced a new €60m Scheme called the COVID-19 Business Aid Scheme (CBAS) that is being developed to provide grants to businesses ineligible for the Government’s other existing schemes such as CRSS and to help with fixed costs. Wholesalers, suppliers, caterers and events companies down 75% or more in turnover and who are in receipt of a rates bill from their local authority can benefit, including those that commenced at the end of 2019.

We are committed to helping businesses respond to the economic challenges arising from the pandemic with a particular focus on firms that do not qualify for the weekly CRSS grant from the Revenue Commissioners or existing sectorial schemes in areas such as the arts, transport and tourism. The new CBAS will help some businesses that are not eligible for existing grants, largely due to the fact that the premises they operate from have not been closed to the public. We estimate that this will help approximately 7,500 businesses. While the grant is modest it will be of substantial assistance to smaller businesses with some of their fixed costs like rent, utilities and security.

I and my colleagues across Government will continue to keep the range of measures under review.

Neale Richmond (Dublin Rathdown, Fine Gael)
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23. To ask the Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment if front-facing businesses that do not qualify for the Covid restrictions support scheme as they are neither an established relevant business activity or a new relevant business activity as they began trading in December 2020 will be eligible for the forthcoming Covid-19 business aid scheme; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [8434/21]

Pauline Tully (Cavan-Monaghan, Sinn Fein)
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24. To ask the Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment the number of applications that have been received for the restart fund for micro and small businesses by Cavan County Council; the amount of funding that has been allocated to the authority; the number of businesses that have received funding under the fund in County Cavan; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [8552/21]

Leo Varadkar (Dublin West, Fine Gael)
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The Restart Grant and Restart Grant Plus schemes were designed to help small and medium sized businesses get back on their feet after what has been an exceptionally difficult time. The Restart Grant scheme was launched on 15 May with a budget of €250 million. The Restart Grant Plus scheme was launched on 10 August with an additional budget of €300m from the Government’s July Jobs Stimulus as a result of the increasing demand for the scheme.

The purpose of the schemes was to help with the cost of reopening or adapting business premises so that normal business could resume. Grant payments were administered by the Local Authorities via the commercial rates system as this was considered the most effective means to get urgent financial assistance to small businesses impacted by COVID-19.

The Restart Grant Plus scheme closed to new applications on 31 October and the COVID Restrictions Support Scheme (CRSS) operated by the Revenue Commissioners is now in place.

The Government has put in place a comprehensive package to help businesses and workers during the pandemic, including the Employment Wage Subsidy Scheme (EWSS), the Pandemic Unemployment Payment (PUP), the COVID-19 Restrictions Support Scheme (CRSS), low-cost loans, the deferral and warehousing of tax liabilities and the waiver of commercial rates. Details of the wide range of COVID-19 schemes are available on my Department’s website at .

On 9th February last I announced a new €60m Scheme called the COVID-19 Business Aid Scheme (CBAS) that is being developed to provide grants to businesses ineligible for the Government’s other existing schemes such as CRSS and to help with fixed costs. Wholesalers, suppliers, caterers and events companies down 75% or more in turnover and who are in receipt of a rates bill from their local authority can benefit, including those that commenced at the end of 2019.

In response to the Deputy’s specific question and as at 12February 2021, Cavan County Council has awarded Restart Grant payments to 1025 businesses to a total value of €3,071,491. The total amount of funding allocated to the Council under the Restart Grant Scheme was €3,268,147.

In terms of the Restart Grant Plus Scheme, Cavan County Council awarded Restart Grant Plus payments to 1047 businesses to a total value of €6,763,704. The total amount of funding allocated to the Council under the Restart Grant Plus Scheme was €6,779,604.

Pauline Tully (Cavan-Monaghan, Sinn Fein)
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25. To ask the Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment the number of applications that have been received for the restart fund for micro and small businesses by Monaghan County Council; the funding that has been allocated to the authority; the number of businesses that have received funding under the fund in County Monaghan; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [8553/21]

Leo Varadkar (Dublin West, Fine Gael)
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The Restart Grant and Restart Grant Plus schemes were designed to help small and medium sized businesses get back on their feet after what has been an exceptionally difficult time. The Restart Grant scheme was launched on 15 May with a budget of €250 million. The Restart Grant Plus scheme was launched on 10 August with an additional budget of €300m from the Government’s July Jobs Stimulus as a result of the increasing demand for the scheme.

The purpose of the schemes was to help with the cost of reopening or adapting business premises so that normal business could resume. Grant payments were administered by the Local Authorities via the commercial rates system as this was considered the most effective means to get urgent financial assistance to small businesses impacted by COVID-19.

The Restart Grant Plus scheme closed to new applications on 31 October and the COVID Restrictions Support Scheme (CRSS) operated by the Revenue Commissioners is now in place.

The Government has put in place a comprehensive package to help businesses and workers during the pandemic, including the Employment Wage Subsidy Scheme (EWSS), the Pandemic Unemployment Payment (PUP), the COVID-19 Restrictions Support Scheme (CRSS), low-cost loans, the deferral and warehousing of tax liabilities and the waiver of commercial rates. Details of the wide range of COVID-19 schemes are available on my Department’s website at .

On 9th February last I announced a new €60m Scheme called the COVID-19 Business Aid Scheme (CBAS) that is being developed to provide grants to businesses ineligible for the Government’s other existing schemes such as CRSS and to help with fixed costs. Wholesalers, suppliers, caterers and events companies down 75% or more in turnover and who are in receipt of a rates bill from their local authority can benefit, including those that commenced at the end of 2019.

In response to the Deputy’s specific question and as at 12February 2021, Monaghan County Council has awarded Restart Grant payments to 834 businesses to a total value of €2,791,392. The total amount of funding allocated to the Council under the Restart Grant Scheme was €3,251,425.

In terms of the Restart Grant Plus Scheme, Monaghan County Council awarded Restart Grant Plus payments to 2029 businesses to a total value of €6,566,366. The total amount of funding allocated to the Council under the Restart Grant Plus Scheme was €6,106,253.

Pauline Tully (Cavan-Monaghan, Sinn Fein)
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26. To ask the Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment the number of applications for supports under the various schemes for businesses impacted by Covid-19 that have been received from businesses in County Cavan; the number that have been processed to date; the number that have been successful; the amount allocated to these businesses; the amount that was sought; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [8556/21]

Leo Varadkar (Dublin West, Fine Gael)
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From my Department's perspective, the information which the Deputy is seeking is available, on a by-county basis, for programmes of the following bodies:

- Enterprise Ireland

- The Local Enterprise Office

- The Local Authorities who administer the Restart Grant and Restart Grant Plus schemes

- The Strategic Banking Corporation of Ireland

- Microfinance Ireland

- Intertrade Ireland.

The information is contained in the attached document.

Cavan supports

This information does not reflect the breadth of Government schemes on COVID-19. The Deputy may wish to follow up with Ministers Donohoe or Humphreys regarding TWSS, CRSS, PUP and other schemes.

Pauline Tully (Cavan-Monaghan, Sinn Fein)
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27. To ask the Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment the number of applications for supports under the various schemes for businesses impacted by Covid-19 that have been received from businesses in County Monaghan; the number that have been processed to date; the number that have been successful; the amount that has been allocated to these businesses; the amount that was sought; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [8557/21]

Leo Varadkar (Dublin West, Fine Gael)
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From my Department's perspective, the information which the Deputy is seeking is available, on a by-county basis, for programmes of the following bodies:

- Enterprise Ireland

- The Local Enterprise Offices

- The Local Authorities who administer the Restart Grant and Restart Grant Plus schemes

- The Strategic Banking Corporation of Ireland

- Microfinance Ireland

- Intertrade Ireland.

The information is contained in the attached document.