Dáil Éireann Debate, Wednesday - 28 April 2021
71. Deputy Aindrias Moynihan asked the Minister for Tourism, Culture, Arts, Gaeltacht, Sport and Media the engagement she had with the Minister for Finance to extend the spend and stay scheme given the scheme runs between 1 October 2020 and 30 April 2021 and current restrictions due to Covid-19 mean that this scheme cannot be availed of in view of the duration that the scheme is available for; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [21955/21]
View answerThe Stay and Spend scheme was set up late last summer to stimulate demand for accommodation and hospitality businesses during the off season. Established by my colleague Minister for Finance, Paschal Donohoe, this scheme was launched as an innovative approach to incentivise spending. However, public health conditions beyond our control have clearly prevented that. The stop and start nature of the pandemic and the unpredictable consequences of it have resulted in the scheme being under utilised and it is now scheduled to expire at the end of April.
There have been other very effective supports in place, including CRSS and the Tourism Business Continuity Scheme for strategic tourism businesses and Government has confirmed there will be no cliff edge in supports. I am committed to continuing support for tourism through this difficult period and to working towards reopening and recovery. As part of the National Economic Recovery Plan, Government will be outlining how it will help people return to work and further support sectors which have been disproportionately affected by the pandemic. Along with my colleagues in Government, I will consider more targeted measures to help reboot those sectors, such as tourism, which will face particular challenges during the recovery phase when the economy reopens.
A review of the Stay and Spend scheme was one of the recent recommendations of the Tourism Recovery Oversight Group and I have urged cabinet colleagues to give serious consideration to this and other recommendations of that report to facilitate the reopening of the sector. Once the scheme ends it is anticipated that the Minster for Finance will take stock and look to what additional measures might be appropriate to put in place towards the end of the year. In this regard, and subject to prevailing health advice I am hopeful that the summer season will be buoyed by strong numbers in domestic tourism providing much needed business activity within the sector, but I am cognisant of the seasonal nature of the industry and financial challenges the leaner shoulder and off season months could bring.
