Emer Higgins (Dublin Mid West, Fine Gael)
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152. To ask the Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment the section of his Department that was responsible for drafting the eligibility criteria for the restart grant and the small business assistance scheme; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [37044/21]

Damien English (Meath West, Fine Gael)
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In response to the urgency required in providing COVID-19 response measures for business, officials in my Department have been drawn from areas within the Indigenous Enterprise, SMEs and Entrepreneurship Division, and the Enterprise Strategy Competitiveness and Evaluation Division, to work on various initiatives since May 2020, including the Restart Grant Scheme and the Small Business Assistance Scheme (SBASC).

Officials from these Divisions engaged across the system with a number of Departments and Public bodies, including the Department of Housing, Planning and Local Government (DHLPG), the Department of Tourism, Culture, Arts, Gaeltacht, Sport and Media (DTCAGSM), the Department of Public Expenditure and Reform (DPER), the Department of Finance, the Revenue Commissioners and the Local Government Management Agency (LGMA) in devising the technical details and operation of the two schemes about which the Deputy has enquired.

The Restart Grant Scheme, which is now closed, issued over 108,000 grants to a value of over €633m.

In the first quarter of 2021, SBASC approved 2,976 grant applications to a total value of €11.90m. Following feedback from various business sectors, the criteria for the second quarter of the scheme were expanded to allow some previously excluded businesses, such as those not operating from rateable premises, to apply for the scheme. A new grant category of €1,000 for businesses with a turnover between €20,000 and €49,999 was also introduced. These changes were introduced in consultation with the Department of Public Expenditure and Reform and the Local Government Management Agency.

The closing date for the second phase of SBASC is 21st July and figures for grant applications will be available then.