Christopher O'Sullivan (Cork South West, Fianna Fail)
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303. To ask the Minister for Culture, Heritage and the Gaeltacht the supports that will be put in place for tourism businesses that do not qualify for the Fáilte Ireland tourism business continuity scheme due to turnover not meeting criteria; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [12107/21]

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 the Tourism Business Continuity Scheme which will 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.

I understand that the requirement for a minimum annual turnover of €50,000 is based on the likelihood that for businesses with turnover less than that, non-payroll fixed costs will be sufficiently low enough to enable the owners furlough the business by availing of other state aids (namely income supports such as PUP and EWSS), thereby enabling these businesses to re-emerge as public health restrictions ease.