Gary Gannon
Question:14. Deputy Gary Gannon asked the Tánaiste and Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment his plans to support indigenous industries that cannot return due to Covid-19. [25616/20]
View answerThursday, 15 October 2020
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Written answers
The Government is committed to taking all available actions to ensure we help and assist vulnerable but viable businesses, in particular small and medium enterprises, to deal with the economic impacts of the pandemic. The measures in this week's Budget are in addition to those introduced by the Government as part of the July Stimulus of €7bn of grants and loans for firms of all sizes, which includes the wage subsidy scheme, the restart grant, low-cost loans, write-off of commercial rates and deferred tax liabilities, all of which will help to improve cashflow amongst SMEs.
We are giving companies extra assistance through an enhanced Restart Plus grant of up to €25,000. On foot of the Level 3 restrictions recently introduced, a 30% top-up to the Restart Plus grant is being provided to help those affected through the three-week period. Businesses who have previously benefited from the Restart Grant will be eligible to re-apply for this top-up.
In addition to those available from my own Department, there are also a range of other measures announced in Budget 21 to support enterprise and the SME sector. These include the COVID Restrictions Support Scheme (CRSS) for businesses temporarily closed or who have significantly reduced turnover as a result of public health restrictions; the extension of the Employment Wage Subsidy Scheme; reduced VAT rate for the hospitality and tourism sector; extension of the Commercial Rates waiver and the extension of the tax debt warehousing scheme for employers and self-employed. These are all major elements in the overall package of assistance available for businesses.
I continue to work with my colleagues across Government to assist businesses impacted by COVID-19 to adapt to the changing business landscape.
The recently established SME Growth Taskforce meets for the second time tomorrow and will input to the National Economic Plan next month. The Taskforce and National Economic Plan will look to the future and set out how the Irish economy can best position itself for the twin transition to digital and green.