Dáil Éireann Debate, Tuesday - 16 June 2020
420. Deputy Jack Chambers asked the Minister for Business, Enterprise and Innovation the supports available and the steps a business owner (details supplied) can take in respect of a matter; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [10808/20]
Amharc ar fhreagraApplication forms for the new €250m Restart Grant providing direct grant aid to micro and small businesses are now available online on all local authority websites. The grant is a contribution towards the cost of re-opening or keeping a business operational.
To qualify for the Restart Grant, a business must be in a rateable premises and:
- have a turnover of less than €5m and have 50 or less employees,
- have suffered a projected 25%+ loss in revenue from 1 April 2020 to 30th June 2020,
- commit to remain open or to reopen if it was closed. The business must also declare the intention to retain employees that are benefitting from the Temporary Wage Subsidy Scheme (TWSS).
Subject to the qualifying criteria outlined above, any business that has a commercially rateable premises including those businesses with outstanding rates bills are eligible to make an application if they meet the criteria. The grant will be the amount of the rates demand in respect of calendar year 2019 only, subject to a minimum of €2,000 and a maximum of €10,000.
A recently established company that has moved into a rateable premises, or any company that is currently in a rateable premises but was not rate-assessed in 2019, is still eligible to apply. The local authority can pay the grant based on an estimate of what the rates demand for 2019 would have been.
Applications for the Restart Grant can be made online directly to local authorities and further information is available on the application form. If there are queries that are not addressed on the application form, businesses can contact the Business Support Unit in each local authority.
The Restart Grant is just one of a €12bn package of supports for firms of all sizes, which includes the wage subsidy scheme, the pandemic unemployment payment for the self-employed, grants, Trading Online Vouchers, low-cost loans from MFI, write-off of commercial rates and deferred tax liabilities, all of which will help to improve cashflow amongst SMEs.
Full details on all COVID19 supports for business are available at: https://dbei.gov.ie/en/What-We-Do/Supports-for-SMEs/COVID-19-supports/.
