Damien English (Meath West, Fine Gael)
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I am acutely aware of the difficulties that the necessary ongoing Covid-19 restrictions are putting on businesses right across the country. With this 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), 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 business supports is unprecedented.

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.

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.

While there is a requirement for some schemes for businesses to be operating from a rated premises, in the case of SBASC they do not necessarily have to be the rate payer to qualify. Our objective is to assist businesses to meet some of the ongoing fixed costs of operating from a premises. We are not providing compensation for loss of personal income above this level or compensation for loss of profits for any sector.

I can assure you the Government is continuing to review the range of assistance schemes and eligibility criteria to ensure we have the right mix for the recovery.