Pearse Doherty (Donegal, Sinn Fein)
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161. To ask the Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment the financial supports for wedding photographers and videographers who have closed their businesses due to Covid-19 restrictions; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [14770/21]

Leo Varadkar (Dublin West, Fine Gael)
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I am keenly aware that businesses are continuing to make massive sacrifices to protect their communities and I am committed to ensuring that the Government will offer as much assistance and support as possible. The wedding sector has been one of the worst affected and I understand that the continued restrictions are a source of great concern. My Department has worked to ensure that appropriate supports are in place for businesses that require finance as they develop their response to their exposure to impacts arising from COVID-19. Details of all schemes can be found on my Departments website: Government supports for COVID-19 impacted businesses - DETE (enterprise.gov.ie)

The financial support the Government is providing businesses and workers affected by the pandemic is unprecedented. Almost a million people of working age are now in receipt of weekly payments including the Pandemic Unemployment Payment (PUP), Employment Wage Subsidy (EWSS) and Jobseekers Benefit or Allowance. Support for business includes the weekly CRSS payment for businesses forced to close their doors to the public, the Small Business Assistance Scheme for COVID (SBASC), reduced VAT rates, a commercial rates holiday, the Sustaining Enterprise Fund, the Tourism Business Continuity Scheme as well as low-cost loans.

Budget 2021 provided a significant package of tax and expenditure measures to build the resilience of the economy and to help vulnerable but viable businesses across all sectors. Details of the wide range of supports available are on my Department’s website.

These measures are in addition to the €7 billion July Stimulus of enterprise measures, which includes the Wage Subsidy Scheme extended through 2021, the Pandemic Unemployment Payment, grants, low-cost loans, write-off of commercial rates and deferred tax liabilities, all of which will help to improve cashflow amongst self-employed. We are providing for an extension of the tax warehousing scheme to include repayments of Temporary Wage Subsidy Scheme funds owed by employers and preliminary tax obligations for adversely affected businesses.

As announced in the July Stimulus, the Enterprise Support Grant was extended to assist eligible self-employed, including sole traders, who exit the PUP or jobseekers schemes, to re-start their business. Further information is available at www.gov.ie.

On the 9th of December my colleague Minister Heather Humphreys T.D., Minister for Social Protection, announced the doubling of the PUP threshold from the current €480 over four weeks to €960 over an eight-week period effective immediately. This measure is to assist those who are trying to restart their businesses and will allow self-employed people to take on intermittent jobs without losing their entitlement to the PUP. The Department of Social Protection is also providing the Enterprise Support Grant, a once-off payment worth up to €1,000 per person is aimed at sole traders who do not pay commercial rates.  

The three main schemes, the CRSS, EWSS and PUP compare favourably with any other packages on offer in other countries. The new Small Business Assistance Scheme for Covid I announced last month will provide funding of up to €8,000 for those businesses that are in receipt of a rates bill from their local authority or in a rateable premises. While the grant is modest, it will help smaller businesses in particular to cover fixed costs such as rent, insurance, utilities, security.

The schemes are there to help meet fixed costs that cannot be avoided and to provide basic weekly income support up to maximum of €350 per week.  They are not created to provide compensation for loss of personal income above this level or compensation for loss of profits for any sector.

I would urge business owners to seek the supports outlined above if they have not already done so. I would also suggest they contact their Local Enterprise Office who can signpost them and advise them of supports that may be available for their business.

I want to assure you, however, that I am in consultation with business sectors and am aware of their concerns and I and my colleagues across Government are continuing to keep the range of measures under review.