Cathal Crowe (Clare, Fianna Fail)
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398. To ask the Minister for Housing, Planning, and Local Government if he will consider extending the current waiver on local authority commercial rates for tourism and hospitality businesses until the end of 2021; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [13127/21]

Peter Burke (Longford-Westmeath, Fine Gael)
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In order to continue supporting businesses and ratepayers, and in recognition of the ongoing impacts of COVID 19 and the associated public health restrictions, the Government put in place a commercial rates waiver for the first three months of 2021and recently extended it for a further three months. The waiver applies to businesses most seriously affected by ongoing restrictions, with automatic eligibility extending to retail, hospitality, including hotels, pubs and restaurants, leisure and entertainment, personal services such as hairdressers and barbers, health services and various other categories. As with all public health measures and associated supports, the waiver of commercial rates will be kept under review.

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.