Denise Mitchell (Dublin Bay North, Sinn Fein)
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304. To ask the Minister for Housing, Planning, and Local Government the criteria businesses must meet to be eligible for a commercial rates waiver; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [8620/21]

Peter Burke (Longford-Westmeath, Fine Gael)
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Given the ongoing impacts of COVID 19 and the associated public health restrictions and in order to continue supporting ratepayers and local authorities, the Government recently announced that a commercial rates waiver will be applied in the first quarter of 2021 to businesses most seriously affected by ongoing restrictions. €160 million has been allocated to meet the cost of this waiver. Details were issued to local authorities on the 27 January.

The 2021 waiver is necessarily more targeted than was the case with the nine month waiver in 2020 and is aimed at businesses closed or very seriously impacted by current restrictions. Automatic eligibility is extended to retail, hospitality including hotels, pubs and restaurants, leisure and entertainment, personal services such as hairdressers and barbers, health services and various other categories.

In recognition of the fact that there may be ratepayers excluded from the waiver that were severely impacted by the pandemic, up to 7.5% of the overall allocation is included for these ratepayers. Businesses in excluded sectors may engage directly with their local authorities if they can demonstrate serious financial impact and may also qualify. These applications will be reviewed by local authorities on a case by case basis.

As has been the case since the outset of the Covid-19 pandemic, my Department will continue to engage with the local government sector and with individual local authorities on the financial impacts of the pandemic. As with all public health measures and associated supports, the waiver of commercial rates will be kept under review.