Catherine Murphy (Kildare North, Social Democrats)
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243. To ask the Minister for Culture, Heritage and the Gaeltacht the rationale for reducing Covid-related supports by 33% from €75 million to €50 million in Budget 2022 in view of the fact that it was announced that tourism would see an increase in Budget 2022 over Budget 2021 of 33%. [5686/22]

Catherine Martin (Dublin Rathdown, Green Party)
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I secured an increase of €67.6 million in the overall tourism funding allocation in Budget 2022 to help address immediate survival issues in the tourism sector. This funding will also facilitate the resilience and recovery of the sector as we reopen to international tourism and transition to a more sustainable future. This brings to more than €288 million the funding available to tourism in 2022.

€50 million has been secured to provide financial supports to tourism businesses in 2022. The Tourism Business Continuity Schemes for 2022 are managed by Fáilte Ireland and will 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. While €75 million was paid in tourism business supports in 2021 (including €20m from funding allocated in 2020), it is important to note that the sector was severely constrained by public health restrictions for much of 2021.

The allocation of the funding by Fáilte Ireland takes into account the needs of the Tourism Sector as a whole. The first two Schemes, the Strategic Tourism Transport Business Continuity Scheme and the Strategic Ireland Based Agents Tourism Business continuity Scheme are currently open. Two further Schemes will open in early March namely the Attractions and Activity Tourism Operators Business Continuity Scheme and the Tourism Accommodation Providers Business Continuity Scheme. The funding secured for these supports takes account of the trading and other circumstances likely to pertain in 2022.

I am conscious of the many challenges facing the sector and I am continuing to engage closely with the wider tourism and hospitality sector, in close consultation with Fáilte Ireland and Tourism Ireland.