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Covid-19 Pandemic Supports

Dáil Éireann Debate, Wednesday - 20 May 2020

Wednesday, 20 May 2020

Ceisteanna (557)

Seán Fleming

Ceist:

557. Deputy Sean Fleming asked the Minister for Business, Enterprise and Innovation the position regarding possible grants and supports for employees in addition to cash flow finance for the tourism hotel sectors and restaurants that are badly hit by the Covid-19 crisis; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [5719/20]

Amharc ar fhreagra

Freagraí scríofa

Many of the business supports that have been put in place since the COVID-19 crisis began, and which are administered on behalf of my Department, are available to the hospitality sector.

On 2 May, I announced a number of additional measures to aid the economy as the COVID-19 restrictions start to be lifted. These are part of an economic plan worth up to €6.5 billion to help businesses impacted by COVID-19 and minimise the extent of the economic damage caused by the pandemic. Those measures are:

- A €10,000 Restart Grant for micro and small businesses based on a rates/waiver rebate from 2019;

- A three month commercial rates waiver for impacted businesses;

- A €2 billion Pandemic Stabilisation and Recovery Fund within the Ireland Strategic  Investment Fund (ISIF), which will make capital available to medium and  large enterprises on commercial terms;

- A €2 billion COVID-19 Credit  Guarantee Scheme to support lending to SMEs for terms ranging from 3  months to 6 years, which will be below market interest rates;

- The ‘warehousing’ of tax  liabilities for a period of twelve months after recommencement of trading during which time there will be no debt enforcement action taken by Revenue and no interest charge accruing in respect of the warehoused debt.

These specific measures supplement those supports for business that the Government put in place at the start of the COVID-19 crisis. There is now a comprehensive suite of supports for firms of all sizes, which includes the wage subsidy scheme, grants, low-cost loans, write-off of commercial rates and deferred tax liabilities, all of which will help to improve cashflow amongst our SMEs. These supports are designed to build confidence, further assist businesses in terms of the management of their companies, and allow them to begin looking to the future and start charting a path forward for weeks and months ahead.

For further information on all of my Department's supports for business please go to https://dbei.gov.ie/en/What-We-Do/Supports-for-SMEs/COVID-19-supports/.

I understand that there is ongoing engagement by the Department of Transport, Tourism and Sport with Fáilte Ireland and representatives of the hospitality sector for the purpose of addressing the challenges currently posed by COVID-19 for that sector.  These discussions may identify proposals for further supports which will fall to be considered by Government.

As the matter of supports for employees in the tourism hotel sectors falls within the policy responsibility of the Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection, I am not in a position to elaborate upon those supports. Useful information is, however, available at https://www.gov.ie/en/publication/eca524-covid-19-information-for-employees/.

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