Niall Collins (Limerick County, Fianna Fail)
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159. To ask the Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment if assistance will be provided to a business (details supplied); and if he will make a statement on the matter. [18506/21]

Leo Varadkar (Dublin West, Fine Gael)
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I am acutely aware of the difficulties that these necessary ongoing Covid-19 restrictions are putting on all businesses right across the country. Business owners are making sacrifices in order to protect their communities.

As you know 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), Small Business Assistance Scheme for COVID (SBASC), low-cost loans, the deferral and warehousing of tax liabilities and the waiver of commercial rates. The level of Government funding for business supports is unprecedented.

You will also know that 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.

Some schemes do have an eligibility requirement of a business operating from a premises on which rates are payable. The reason for this provision is to assist businesses operating from fixed premises to meet some of the ongoing fixed costs of maintaining those premises.

The Government business fixed cost support schemes are there to help meet 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 also refer you to the Local Enterprise Office website for further information on the range of supports available, including mentoring, information, advisory services and training and support: COVID-19 Pandemic: Business Response-old - Local Enterprise Office.

Full details of the wide range of COVID-19 schemes are available on my Department’s website at .

I want to assure you, however, that I and my Government colleagues are keeping all the current schemes under review.