Dáil Éireann Debate, Wednesday - 12 May 2021
41. Deputy Réada Cronin asked the Tánaiste and Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment if his Department will actively investigate the possibility of establishing Ireland as the events hub of the EU post-Brexit (details supplied); if a fund will be made available for same; if he will liaise with the Minister for Tourism, Culture, Arts, Gaeltacht, Sport and Media in relation to same; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [24854/21]
View answerThe impact of COVID-19 has not been uniform across areas of economic activity and affected sectors such as the events sector will continue to face challenges due to ongoing distancing requirements, changed consumer behaviour and lower demand. The outlook for internationally traded sectors is also uncertain and will depend on developments in export markets.
Nevertheless, I would like to thank the Deputy for her suggestion about Ireland becoming an EU hub for the events sector and would be interested in hearing about any proposals which I could share with my colleague, Minister Catherine Martin, whose Department is the lead in this area.
As the House will be aware, my Department recently launched the Small Business Assistance Scheme for COVID (SBASC) which gives grants to businesses which are not eligible for the Government’s COVID Restrictions Support Scheme (CRSS), the Fáilte Ireland Business Continuity grant or other direct sectoral grant schemes. This scheme aims to help businesses with their fixed costs, for example, rent, utility bills, security. A payment grant of €4,000 is available for the first quarter of this year. A decision on payment for the second quarter of this year will be made in due course.
