Ruairí Ó Murchú (Louth, Sinn Fein)
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27. To ask the Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment if he will provide an update on the creation of an extreme weather event assistance scheme relevant to the business sector; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [21630/25]

Peter Burke (Longford-Westmeath, Fine Gael)
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Government is acutely aware of the significant challenges that the impacts of Storm Éowyn caused for business owners since 24th January. Following the immediate damage caused by the storm, many businesses were impacted by subsequent outages in relation to power, water, and communications networks.

The situation in relation to Storm Éowyn and its impacts on the business community have been closely monitored through regular updates from the National Emergency Coordination Group and updates from Local Enterprise Offices in the counties with the most significant and prolonged impacts.

The Department of Housing, Local Government and Heritage, through the National Emergency Coordination Group, are leading a cross-government review of the response to Storm Éowyn. My officials are engaging in this review and it is expected to be completed by the end of June. This review will inform consideration of any potential extreme weather event assistance scheme for the business sector.

With regard to the issue of losses arising from Storm Éowyn, I would in the first instance encourage businesses to seek recourse through their insurance providers to cover any losses incurred. I have been engaging directly with the insurance federation and my understanding is that most losses incurred by businesses, such as property damage, loss of earnings and spoilage of stock, fall within standard insurance cover and the damage caused by the storm is a standard insured peril for insurance policies.

In the past, my Department has operated a targeted Emergency Humanitarian Flooding Scheme in response to specific flooding incidents. These schemes are specifically targeted to providing a contribution to small businesses of up to 20 employees as well as community, voluntary and sporting bodies who have experienced damage as a result of flooding and to help them get back up and running. A condition of eligibility for these schemes is that the businesses must not have been able to secure flood insurance through no fault of its own.