Christopher O'Sullivan (Cork South West, Fianna Fail)
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123. To ask the Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment the supports his Department is providing for businesses and organisations within the experience economy that are continuing to struggle in the face of ongoing Covid-19 restrictions; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [60835/21]

Leo Varadkar (Dublin West, Fine Gael)
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The Government continues to support businesses through these challenging times and recognises the impact that the new measures will have on sectors such as hospitality, the arts and entertainment and the night-time economy sectors.

With this in mind, on Friday we announced a package of financial interventions for the hospitality, events and entertainment sectors. The package includes:

- a change to the CRSS or EWSS, details of which will be confirmed very shortly by the Minister for Finance

- an extension of the targeted commercial rates waiver at least until the end of March

- an extra €25 million from the Covid contingency fund applied to the Department of Tourism, Culture, Arts, Gaeltacht, Sport and Media, in particular to assist the live entertainment, arts and performance sectors.

As the Deputy will be aware, the PUP has also been reopened for workers who lose their jobs or have lost their jobs as a result of the newly announced restrictions.

Details of existing supports can be found on my Department’s website: Government supports for COVID-19 impacted businesses - DETE (enterprise.gov.ie). For further details on the new scheme and the changes to the Pandemic Unemployment Payment please refer to the Department of Finance and the Department of Social Protection.

Government policy remains that there will be no cliff edge to the support. All business supports are being kept under review to ensure that they are timely and target those that need them the most.

Fergus O'Dowd (Louth, Fine Gael)
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125. To ask the Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment the additional supports that will be put in place which will be targeted for the hospitality sector considering the widely reported and significant impact the new wave of Covid-19 and the subsequent recommendations have had on their businesses in the run up to Christmas; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [60668/21]

Leo Varadkar (Dublin West, Fine Gael)
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The Government continues to support businesses through these challenging times and recognises the impact that the new measures will have on sectors such as hospitality, the arts and entertainment and the night-time economy sectors.

With this in mind, on Friday we announced a package of financial interventions for the hospitality, events and entertainment sectors. The package includes:

- a change to the CRSS or EWSS, details of which will be confirmed very shortly by the Minister for Finance

- an extension of the targeted commercial rates waiver at least until the end of March

- an extra €25 million from the Covid contingency fund applied to the Department of Tourism, Culture, Arts, Gaeltacht, Sport and Media, in particular to assist the live entertainment, arts and performance sectors.

As the Deputy will be aware, the PUP has also been reopened for workers who lose their jobs or have lost their jobs as a result of the newly announced restrictions.

Details of existing supports can be found on my Department’s website: Government supports for COVID-19 impacted businesses - DETE (enterprise.gov.ie).