Alan Dillon (Mayo, Fine Gael)
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56. To ask the Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment the number of trading online voucher scheme applications approved to date in 2021 in County Mayo; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [29948/21]

Damien English (Meath West, Fine Gael)
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The Trading Online Voucher Scheme offers a 50% co-funded voucher of up to €2,500 to help businesses, which have been trading for at least 6 months, to develop their online trading capability and includes training sessions that cover various topics, including developing a website, digital marketing, social media for business and search engine optimisation.

This Trading Online Voucher Scheme has been a crucial support for businesses during the COVID-19 pandemic and will continue to assist businesses with digitalisation and developing their online presence.

From 1 January 2021 to 26 May 2021 the Trading Online Vouchers Scheme had a total of 122 applications in Mayo which led to 120 approvals to a value of €259,500. This builds on the very successful year of figures from 2020 in Mayo with 527 applications and 438 approvals to a value of €1,016,854.32.

Alan Dillon (Mayo, Fine Gael)
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57. To ask the Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment the details of the work on the Small Company Administrative Rescue Process; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [29949/21]

Robert Troy (Longford-Westmeath, Fianna Fail)
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Government approved the priority drafting of the Companies (Small Company Administrative Rescue Process and Miscellaneous Provisions) Bill 2021 on 11th May 2021. Drafting is currently underway with a view to enactment in advance of the summer recess. Officials from my Department continue to engage intensively with the Attorney General and Parliamentary Counsel to progress the Bill within this timeframe.

It is recognised that Ireland’s existing rescue framework, examinership, while internationally recognised and successful in its own right, may be beyond the reach of small companies due to the associated costs. The Small Company Administrative Rescue Process (SCARP) seeks to mirror key elements of examinership in an administrative context thereby reducing court oversight resulting in efficiencies and lower comparable costs. It will have limited court involvement where creditors are engaged in the process and positively disposed to a rescue plan.

SCARP is an integral part of the Government’s medium-term stabilisation response to the economic challenges of the pandemic, and in keeping with commitments contained in the Programme for Government.  It is a further demonstration of its commitment to do all that it can to help businesses along the road to recovery as we emerge from Covid-19.