Written answers
Tuesday, 4 March 2025
Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment
Weather Events
Louis O'Hara (Galway East, Sinn Fein)
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340. To ask the Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment when the extreme weather event assistance scheme will be established; who will qualify for support under this scheme; if assistance will be granted to businesses, clubs, farmers and others affected by storm Éowyn; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [9292/25]
Alan Dillon (Mayo, Fine Gael)
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The Extreme Weather Event Assistance Scheme is a commitment in the Programme for Government and is designed to support affected households, farms and businesses. This initiative predates Storm Éowyn and is a strategic policy action for delivery within the timeframe of the current Government.
While the full details of this scheme are still to be fully worked through, the broad aim should be to strengthen the existing humanitarian assistance schemes already in place across a number of Departments. The unprecedented impacts of Storm Éowyn require this initiative to be a high priority policy for the relevant Departments and officials of my department have begun working as a matter of urgency on the aspects of such a scheme relevant to the business sector.
With regard to potential support to businesses with losses arising from Storm Éowyn, I would in the first instance encourage businesses to seek recourse through their insurance providers to cover losses incurred.
I understand that the damage caused by the storm is a standard insured peril and most losses incurred by businesses such as property damage, lost earnings and spoilage of stock fall within standard insurance cover on policies.
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