On Friday (15th May) at Cabinet we agreed the details of a new direct grant aid scheme for small and local businesses to help with the costs of re-opening, including re-employing workers.

The €250m Restart Grant will open for applications, through local authorities, on 22nd May.

Businesses in Galway, Mayo and across the country with a turnover of up to €5m and a workforce of up to 50 people are eligible to apply.

The Restart Scheme will provide grants of between €2,000 and €10,000 based on the the commercial rates bill of 2019.

The Restart Grant is the latest of a range of supports to help businesses and workers impacted by the lockdown and other public health measures necessitated by Covid-19. Other measures include:

  • Covid-19 business loans of up to €50,000 for micro enterprises
  • Pandemic Stabilisation and Recovery Fund worth €2bn to help medium and large businesses
  • Sustaining Enterprise Fund for Small Enterprise – €180m operated by Enterprise Ireland through which up to €800,000 in repayable funding is available
  • €450m Covid-19 Working Capital Scheme administered by the Strategic Banking Corporation of Ireland with low interest loans of between €25,000 to €1.5 million
  • Working capital injection of up to €50,000 for smaller companies

Other Government schemes to support workers and employees include the Pandemic Unemployment Payment – administered by the Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection – and the Temporary Wage Subsidy Scheme – operated by Revenue.

The existing Short-Time Work Support Scheme which supplements the income of a person who is reduced hours or days is also available.

Find out more on http://www.gov.ie.