Dáil Éireann Debate, Tuesday - 8 September 2020
172. Deputy Brendan Griffin asked the Minister for Transport his views on a matter (details supplied) in relation to the start-up grant being made available to guesthouses and bed and breakfasts; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [21969/20]
View answerThe changes to the restart grant are particularly welcome for tourism businesses. Thousands more businesses, including B&Bs, will now be eligible for assistance of up to €25,000. This will help defray the high costs incurred when closed for public health reasons.
B&Bs in non-rated premises will be eligible to apply for flat rate of €4,000 grant paid through Fáilte Ireland. A guesthouse is a prescribed term under the Tourist Traffic Acts and therefore unregistered guesthouses do not exist.
The application process for the B&B specific portion of the Restart Grant, which will be administered by Fáilte Ireland, will run in two phases: Phase 1 for Fáilte Ireland approved B&Bs and Phase 2 for unapproved B&Bs.
The launch date for the B&Bs Restart Grant for approved B&Bs is the 14th September 2020 . The date of the launch for unapproved B&Bs is not yet finalised. The process for approved and unapproved B&Bs will not run simultaneously as Fáilte Ireland needs to develop a new robust system of verification for unapproved B&Bs.
