Dáil Éireann Debate, Tuesday - 16 June 2020
461. Deputy Holly Cairns asked the Minister for Business, Enterprise and Innovation if supports or grants will be put in place for businesses that operate from privately-owned home premises in view of the fact the restart grant being issued by local authorities is inequitable as it only caters for businesses paying commercial rates. [11543/20]
View answerThe Restart grant is designed to help small and micro commercial enterprises to re-launch their business and reconnect with their employees and customers. The grant is being paid using the Local Authorities Commercial Rates System as the most efficient means of delivery.
The grant is the amount of the 2019 rates assessment subject to a minimum grant of €2,000 and a maximum of €10,000. There are approximately 150,000 ratepayers in the system. It was necessary therefore to devise criteria that ensured that the most needy businesses would benefit. Many businesses working from their private residences were in a position to continue trading and would not have the same level of reopening costs that a business that was closed will incur. Businesses that operate from home and have employees can continue to benefit from the Temporary Wage Subsidy Scheme and the full range of supports are available from the Local Enterprise Offices.
To qualify for a Restart grant, an eligible business:
- Must have a turnover of less than €5m and have 50 or less employees.
- Must have suffered a projected 25%+ loss in revenue from 1 April 2020 to 30th June 2020.
- Must commit to remain open or to reopen if it was closed.
- Must also declare the intention to retain employees that are benefitting from the Temporary Wage Subsidy Scheme (TWSS).
The Restart Grant support is just one part of the wider €12bn package of supports for firms of all sizes, which includes grants, low-cost loans, write-off of commercial rates and deferred tax liabilities, all of which will help to improve cashflow amongst SMEs.
For a full list of supports for business please see https://dbei.gov.ie/en/What-We-Do/Supports-for-SMEs/COVID-19-supports/.
