Jackie Cahill (Tipperary, Fianna Fail)
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427. To ask the Minister for Culture, Heritage and the Gaeltacht if she will work with Fáilte Ireland to ensure that the coach tourism operators continuity scheme for 2022 is implemented similarly to the 2021 scheme (details supplied); and if she will make a statement on the matter. [1259/22]

Catherine Martin (Dublin Rathdown, Green Party)
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Since the outbreak of the pandemic, I have secured €125 million in Business Continuity Supports for the tourism sector taking account of the long shutdown and period of restrictions across many sectors.  This included €10 million under the Coach Tourism Business Continuity Scheme. €50m of this Business Continuity Support for the tourism sector will be paid in 2022. 

My Department’s role in relation to tourism lies in the area of national tourism policy development and in securing resources to assist the tourism agencies, Fáilte Ireland and Tourism Ireland, in implementing that policy.

The Tourism Business Continuity Schemes for 2022 will be managed once more by Fáilte Ireland.  That agency has developed its 2022 schemes in order to support businesses across the tourism sectors that need it most urgently, taking account of the Government funding that has already been received and the wider context of the horizontal supports provided by Government. 

The allocation of the funding by Fáilte Ireland takes into account the needs of the Tourism Sector as a whole. The first Scheme, the Strategic Tourism Transport Business Continuity Scheme 2022  was launched on 11 January and aims to support the tourism transport sector. This Scheme is open to Coach Tourism Operators and other strategic tourism transport operators (such as Tourism Chauffeur, Limousine Services, Escorted Private Tours and Hop-on Hop-Off Tourism Operators, Tourism Vehicle Rental Sector, Tourism Aviation & Rail Tour Operators) provided they meet the eligibility criteria which are similar to the 2021 Scheme. Amounts to individual businesses will be informed by the Scheme criteria and may vary accordingly.