Dáil Éireann Debate, Thursday - 9 September 2021
21. Deputy Sean Fleming asked the Tánaiste and Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment the number of requests for appeals in respect of the restart grant plus scheme for Covid-19 when the closing date was abruptly introduced; the number of appeals and the estimated quantum value of the appeals by county together with the number of appeals and the quantum of amounts that were approved on appeal; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [42217/21]
View answerThe Restart Grant scheme was launched in May 2020 and was live on all Local Authority websites. It was advertised extensively both nationally and locally as well as across social media. The Scheme was initially intended to provide grants in tandem with the phased re-opening of the economy as per the Government’s Roadmap. As the Roadmap was accelerated, so too was the scheme available to all eligible businesses and sectors.
The numbers of applications nationally had begun to taper off as we considered introducing an expanded Restart Scheme with higher grant levels. As the Government decided to introduce the higher grant levels, to the benefit of a much larger group of businesses, it was decided to end the original scheme. The Restart Grant Plus Scheme was launched in August 2020, with increased minimum and maximum grants available to a larger cohort of businesses.
Businesses, for whichever reason, that were unable to apply for the original Restart Grant scheme were entitled to submit an appeal to their Local Authority. In this context it is important to note that for the purposes of the Restart Grant and Restart Grant Plus schemes, each Local Authority was the decision-making body and the appeals body, so individual appeals were directed in the first instance to their respective Local Authority, noting the circumstances/reasons for the particular appeal.
I can advise the Deputy that, of the total 123,380 applications for the Restart Schemes operated by the 31 Local Authorities on behalf of my Department, 108,634 applications were approved and paid. 14,746 were not approved. The funding provided to each Local Authority for the appeals is set out below by Local Authority area in tabular format, along with a breakdown by Local Authority area of the €633.2 million approved in grant assistance to eligible businesses.
|
RESTART GRANTS SCHEMES |
|||||
|
Local Authority |
Total Number of Applications |
Number of Applications Not Approved |
Number of Applications Approved |
Total Value of Appeals Funding € |
Value of Total Applications Approved € |
|
Carlow |
1,467 |
109 |
1,358 |
€0 |
€7,493,149 |
|
Cavan |
2,272 |
194 |
2,078 |
€16,722 |
€9,851,417 |
|
Clare |
3,185 |
333 |
2,852 |
€332,285 |
€15,062,331 |
|
Cork City |
6,458 |
1,126 |
5,332 |
€4,150,702 |
€36,951,412 |
|
Cork County |
11,946 |
1,243 |
10,703 |
€0 |
€34,124,468 |
|
Donegal |
4,599 |
207 |
4,392 |
€1,279,241 |
€24,298,505 |
|
Dublin City |
15,038 |
2,755 |
12,283 |
€3,019,326 |
€98,022,805 |
|
Dun Laoghaire Rathdown |
3,780 |
563 |
3,217 |
€723,941 |
€26,088,577 |
|
Fingal |
4,646 |
595 |
4,051 |
€400,000 |
€30,091,628 |
|
Galway City |
3,244 |
460 |
2,784 |
€1,000,000 |
€18,897,889 |
|
Galway County |
4,178 |
745 |
3,433 |
€1,180,744 |
€17,016,277 |
|
Kerry |
4,842 |
692 |
4,150 |
€500,000 |
€23,540,813 |
|
Kildare |
4,171 |
476 |
3,695 |
€2,001,820 |
€25,448,466 |
|
Kilkenny |
2,462 |
268 |
2,194 |
€0 |
€11,325,394 |
|
Laois |
1,611 |
230 |
1,381 |
€0 |
€7,693,446 |
|
Leitrim |
984 |
72 |
912 |
€0 |
€4,203,787 |
|
Limerick |
5,034 |
517 |
4,517 |
€54,692 |
€26,576,902 |
|
Longford |
1,407 |
71 |
1,336 |
€400,000 |
€6,196,951 |
|
Louth |
3,611 |
559 |
3,052 |
€1,298,948 |
€18,281,163 |
|
Mayo |
4,572 |
604 |
3,968 |
€477,033 |
€20,241,131 |
|
Meath |
3,681 |
221 |
3,460 |
€562,413 |
€18,973,679 |
|
Monaghan |
1,983 |
85 |
1,898 |
€0 |
€9,357,678 |
|
Offaly |
1,955 |
162 |
1,793 |
€613,344 |
€9,167,835 |
|
Roscommon |
1,779 |
64 |
1,715 |
€505,110 |
€8,242,244 |
|
Sligo |
1,850 |
23 |
1,827 |
€566,816 |
€9,009,109 |
|
South Dublin |
4,851 |
1,141 |
3,710 |
€500,000 |
€30,976,222 |
|
Tipperary |
4,500 |
227 |
4,273 |
€0 |
€20,401,593 |
|
Waterford |
3,106 |
278 |
2,828 |
€454,509 |
€15,779,672 |
|
Westmeath |
2,441 |
143 |
2,298 |
€61,185 |
€11,483,918 |
|
Wexford |
4,460 |
277 |
4,183 |
€1,532,492 |
€22,534,110 |
|
Wicklow |
3,267 |
306 |
2,961 |
€591,793 |
€15,897,283 |
|
TOTAL |
123,380 |
14,746 |
108,634 |
22,223,116 |
633,229,854 |
