The Enterprise Support Grant (ESG) is available to eligible self-employed recipients who close their Pandemic Unemployment Payment (PUP) and re-start their business. The closure of PUP is a precondition of the grant and provides a financial support towards the re-opening of a business. I have no plans to change this condition.
I have recently extended the grant to make it available to those who claimed the grant in 2020 but who found themselves back on the PUP in 2021. The opportunity of a second grant, worth up to €1,000, applies to all eligible self-employed recipients who close their PUP on or after 1 June 2021, including taxi drivers when they are in a position to exit the scheme.
Almost 9,200 ESG applications have been approved since the introduction of this grant, with approximately €8.5m paid to small businesses.
I trust this clarifies the matter for the Deputy.