Pádraig O'Sullivan (Cork North Central, Fianna Fail)
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30. To ask the Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment if travel agents are eligible for the new COVID-19 business aid scheme; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [11653/21]

Leo Varadkar (Dublin West, Fine Gael)
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I am acutely aware of the difficulties the travel industry has faced this past year and are continuing to face due to the necessary COVID-19 travel restrictions. The travel industry has been one of the worst effected by the current situation.

With business difficulties in mind, 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.

As you are aware recently, 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 and is designed to help with fixed costs. Wholesalers, suppliers, caterers and events companies down 75% or more in turnover who are in receipts of a rates bill can benefit.It is anticipated that travel agents will be eligible to apply for this scheme. The details of this scheme are currently being finalised and I expect applications to be taken this month.

I am 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 sectoral schemes in areas such as the arts, transport and tourism.

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.

As it is an ever changing situation, I want to assure you that I and my colleagues across Government will continue to keep the range of supports under review.

Pádraig O'Sullivan (Cork North Central, Fianna Fail)
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31. To ask the Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment if the period of time an employee has been on the temporary wage subsidy scheme or the pandemic unemployment payment will be taken into consideration as part of their tenure for redundancy packages; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [11654/21]

Leo Varadkar (Dublin West, Fine Gael)
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In order to qualify for a statutory redundancy payment, an employee must have 104 weeks continuous employment, be an employed contributor in employment which was insurable for all benefits under the Social Welfare Acts and be over the age of 16. An eligible employee is entitled to two weeks statutory redundancy payment for every year of service, plus a bonus week. Compensation is based on the worker’s length of reckonable service and reckonable weekly remuneration, subject to a ceiling of €600 per week.

The current situation is that the Redundancy Payments Act 1967 provides that a period of layoff within the final 3 years of service before redundancy is not allowable as reckonable service and is not included as service for the purposes of the calculation of the redundancy lump sum payment. So, as it stands, an employee who is in receipt of the Pandemic Unemployment Payment is on layoff from their employment and that period of layoff is not allowable as reckonable service. Time spent on the Employment Wage Subsidy Scheme is not considered to be a lay-off period.

The Department has sought legal advice on the matter. It is legally complex for several reasons, and the Department is considering the full implications before any decision is made. The Department will continue to discuss with trade union and employer representatives.

Pádraig O'Sullivan (Cork North Central, Fianna Fail)
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32. To ask the Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment the number of applications that have been received for the restart fund by Cork City Council from businesses; the funding that has been allocated to the authority; the number of businesses that have received funding under the fund from Cork City Council; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [11655/21]

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 of 26February 2021, Cork City Council received a total of 3362 applications to the Restart Grant Scheme, 2636 of which were approved for payment. The total amount of funding allocated to the Council under the Restart Grant Scheme was €16,164,841.

In terms of the Restart Grant Plus Scheme, Cork City Council received 3096 applications, of which 2696 were approved for payment. The total amount of funding allocated to the Council under the Restart Grant Plus Scheme was €20,786,570.

Pádraig O'Sullivan (Cork North Central, Fianna Fail)
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33. To ask the Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment the number of applications that have been received for the restart fund by Cork County Council from businesses; the funding that has been allocated to the authority; the number of businesses that have received funding under the fund from Cork County Council; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [11656/21]

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 of 26February 2021, Cork County Council received a total of 3778 applications to the Restart Grant Scheme, 3252 of which were approved for payment. The total amount of funding allocated to the Council under the Restart Grant Scheme was €15,885,944.

In terms of the Restart Grant Plus Scheme, Cork County Council received 3918 applications, of which 3607 were approved for payment. The total amount of funding allocated to the Council under the Restart Grant Plus Scheme was €18,383,184.