Written answers
Thursday, 25 February 2021
Department of Culture, Heritage and the Gaeltacht
Covid-19 Pandemic Supports
Colm Burke (Cork North Central, Fine Gael)
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113. To ask the Minister for Culture, Heritage and the Gaeltacht if additional supports will be made available for a tourist site (details supplied) which has experienced a huge drop in footfall in 2020 and 2021 but still incurs large maintenance costs to continue; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [10764/21]
Catherine Martin (Dublin Rathdown, Green Party)
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The July Stimulus and Budget 2021 provided a significant package of tax and fiscal measures to build the resilience of the economy and to help vulnerable but viable businesses across all sectors. Most recently Fáilte Ireland launched a Tourism Business Continuity Scheme (TBCS) to provide support to providers of certain tourism services who have been unable to qualify for assistance under the Government's Covid Restrictions Support Scheme (CRSS). It is designed to help these tourism businesses offset their fixed costs incurred last year and support them to continue operating through 2021.
The Deputy will be aware that on 23 February the Government published "COVID-19 Resilience and Recovery 2021 The Path Ahead". Over the coming period, Government will continue to support tourism businesses by extending the COVID Restrictions Support Scheme, the Employment Wage Subsidy Scheme, and the current commercial rates waiver for a further three months.
The Government has also committed to publishing a National Economic Recovery Plan. As part of the Plan the Government will consider more targeted measures to help re-boot those sectors, such as tourism, who will face particular challenges during the recovery phase when the economy reopens.
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