Paul Kehoe
Question:25. Deputy Paul Kehoe asked the Tánaiste and Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment if he will provide confirmation of a matter (details supplied); and if he will make a statement on the matter. [38911/20]
View answerWednesday, 25 November 2020
Questions (25)
Written answers
I announced the introduction of the Micro Enterprise Assistance Fund scheme on the 14th of September. The scheme is aimed at Micro-Enterprises who are not eligible for the COVID-19 Restart/Restart Plus Grant or similar COVID-19 business restart grants.
The Micro Enterprise Assistance Fund provided eligible businesses with a voucher of between €500 and €1,000 in respect of vouched expenditure for eligible businesses under the initiative. This assistance is intended as a contribution towards the cost of re-opening or keeping a business operational and re-connecting with employees and customers in the context of the pandemic.
The Micro-Enterprise Assistance Fund was provided under the July Stimulus and was made available to Micro Enterprises employing between 2 – 10 employees, that had experienced a 30% reduction in turnover due to COVID-19, but were otherwise ineligible for other government supports.
The decision to award this support on the basis of vouched expenditure is a normal procedure under public financial rules when disbursing public monies so as to ensure that Agency funds are applied for the purposes for which they are intended which includes building in risk mitigation measures such as evidence of actual and proper expenditure.