Robert Troy (Longford-Westmeath, Fianna Fail)
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282. To ask the Minister for Employment Affairs and Social Protection if she will consider extending the back to work enterprise allowance for new business that have effectively very little trading time over two years due to Covid-19 restrictions. [27144/21]

Heather Humphreys (Cavan-Monaghan, Fine Gael)
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The Back to Work Enterprise Allowance (BTWEA) scheme offers support for people who are long-term unemployed and who are interested in self-employment as a route to entering the labour market. The scheme plays a vital role in supporting the development of new enterprises for the long-term unemployed and is payable for up to a 24 month period from the commencement of their new business.

Following the onset of the Covid-19 Pandemic many self-employed people continued to operate their business at reduced levels. Provision was made to continue to pay the BTWEA and the Covid-19 Pandemic Unemployment Payment (PUP) concurrently, where appropriate, to support these newly established businesses. As the situation evolved, further amendments were made to the PUP to support self-employed people including that a person taking up limited self-employment could earn up to €960 over a rolling 8 week period without impacting their PUP entitlement. This also applies to those who are also in receipt of BTWEA.

Where a person’s entitlement to BTWEA exhausts and they are continuing to operate at reduced levels of business activity there may be alternative income supports available depending on the individual's circumstances.

If the Deputy has details of a particular case, he should forward them to the Department to advise. I trust this clarifies the position.