Dáil Éireann Debate, Tuesday - 9 June 2020
501. Deputy Frankie Feighan asked the Minister for Communications, Climate Action and Environment the reason accommodation businesses are excluded from applying for the trading online voucher scheme in view of the damage caused to the industry by Covid-19; if he will investigate the concerns raised in correspondence (details supplied); and if he will make a statement on the matter. [9903/20]
View answer503. Deputy James Browne asked the Minister for Communications, Climate Action and Environment if the local enterprise office trading online voucher scheme will be reviewed to include restaurants; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [10173/20]
View answer504. Deputy Seán Crowe asked the Minister for Communications, Climate Action and Environment if his attention has been drawn to the fact that the trading online scheme under south Dublin LEO is oversubscribed; if his attention has further been drawn to the fact that the scheme is currently paused; if this is the case in other LEO areas; his views on whether the projected funding allocated is insufficient; and his plans to increase funding and meet the demand from businesses impacted by the fallout from the lockdown and other responses to the Covid-19 pandemic. [10305/20]
View answerI propose to take Question Nos. 501, 503 and 504 together.
The Trading Online Voucher Scheme is funded by my Department and delivered nationwide in partnership with the Department of Business, Enterprise and Innovation, Enterprise Ireland and the 31 Local Enterprise Offices. The Scheme offers skills training, mentoring and a grant of up to €2,500 to help small and micro-businesses to develop their ecommerce capability.
New flexibilities to the Scheme were introduced in April 2020 including reducing the requirement for co-funding from 50% to 10% and allowing businesses to apply for a second voucher of up to €2,500 where they have successfully utilised their first one. In addition funding for the scheme was increased from €2.3m to €5.6m.
There has been a positive response to these changes and significant uptake of the Scheme. On 8 June the Government announced additional funding of €14.2m for the Scheme, bringing the total funding allocation in 2020 to €19.8m. This additional funding will allow LEOs and Údarás na Gaeltachta to approve additional vouchers to successful applicants.
Following advice from the LEOs a decision has been made to include the restaurant and accommodation sectors as eligible sectors under the Scheme. The original decision to exclude these sectors was based on the assumption that businesses in these sectors were already digitally engaged or by their nature required physical attendance for the final payment. In the light of the Covid-19 pandemic these sectors have had to adopt new business strategies to continue trading and to address customer needs which involve the development of their ecommerce capability.
