Dáil Éireann Debate, Thursday - 16 December 2021
260. Deputy Bernard J. Durkan asked the Minister for Finance the extent to which he is confident that adequate resources remain available to him to continue supporting the economy in the face of the continued advance of Covid-19 and its variations; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [62730/21]
View answer262. Deputy Bernard J. Durkan asked the Minister for Finance the extent to which resources remain available to him and his Department to facilitate the battle against Covid-19 in its various forms; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [62732/21]
View answerI propose to take Questions Nos. 260 and 262 together.
Including funds allocated in Budget 2022, the total amount made available to mitigate the impact of the Covid-19 pandemic stands at approximately €48 billion, composed of a combination of direct public expenditure, taxation measures and ‘below the line’ supports.
Of this, €6.8 billion has been made available in direct expenditure measures in 2022. Approximately €2.9 billion has been allocated to departments, particularly the Departments of Health and Social Protection to facilitate their continued Covid response, while the remainder remains unallocated. The unallocated funds will allow the Government respond flexibly to the challenges of the pandemic as it evolves without impacting on baseline budgetary arithmetic.
The primary income support schemes remain in place. The Pandemic Unemployment Payment, which to date has paid out nearly €9 billion, reopened to workers impacted by the most recent set of restrictions. Furthermore, the Employee Wage Subsidy Scheme will continue to operate at enhanced rates for December and January. Over €8.5 billion has been paid to businesses to date through this scheme and its predecessor, the Temporary Wage Subsidy Scheme.
Going forward, we will continue to assess the supports available and ensure that they remain targeted to those most in need. The Government has been clear that there will be no cliff edge to supports but we have also been clear that these measures cannot run indefinitely given the very substantial costs to the Exchequer.
