- Q1. What is the Scheme about?
The overall purpose of the Scheme is to help Republic of Ireland tourism providers to withstand the impact of COVID-19 by providing a direct financial contribution to support their business continuity plans and contribute towards their fixed costs, seeking to position them to continue operating through 2021.
- Q2. What tourism businesses can apply for this round of the scheme?
The following businesses can apply once they meet the eligibility criteria:
All applicants that are included on the Fáilte Ireland Register of Statutory Accommodation or, the Fáilte Ireland Non-Statutory Approved Accommodation Listing (https://www.failteireland.ie/Supports/Get-quality-assured.aspx)
Accommodation registered under Third Party Frameworks, e.g., such as the B&B Ireland Framework, is also eligible.
Accommodation providers not included on, or who have not applied to, Fáilte Ireland’s National Quality Assurance Framework by 23rd July 2021 are ineligible to apply under this scheme
Please refer to guidelines document for further information on eligible businesses
- Q3. How will the grant amount be determined?
Grants for successful applicants will be based on the following calculations:
• A limited fund is available for this Scheme and the final amount is yet to be determined. It is envisaged that the minimum size of the fund will be €20 million subject to the availability of funding.
• The grant per Eligible Applicant will be determined on a pro-rata allocation of the total fund. The grant award will be based on the number of units (bedrooms/pitches etc) per applicant property. Please refer to guidelines for grant allocation mechanism applied.
- Q4. What is State Aid and how will it affect my grant?
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Title
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Granting Authority
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1
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Repayable Advances Scheme Ireland
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Enterprise Ireland & IDA Ireland
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2
|
Sustaining Enterprise Scheme
|
Enterprise Ireland & IDA Ireland
|
3
|
Scheme to facilitate COVID-19 relevant research and development, to support construction and upgrade of testing and upscaling facilities of COVID-19 relevant products and to support investments into the production of COVID-19 relevant products
|
IDA Ireland
|
4
|
Covid 19- Credit Guarantee Scheme
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Strategic Banking Corporation of Ireland
|
5
|
Irish Restart Grant
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Enterprise Ireland
|
6
|
COVID 19 Adaptation Fund for the Re-Opening of Tourism and Hospitality businesses
|
Fáilte Ireland
|
7
|
Beef Finishers Payment
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Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine
|
8
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Live Performance Scheme
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Department of Tourism, Culture, Arts, Gaeltacht, Sport and Media
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9
|
Irish Coach Tourism Scheme
|
Fáilte Ireland
|
10
|
Ireland-Based Inbound Agents Business Continuity Scheme
|
Fáilte Ireland
|
11
|
Tourism Business Continuity Scheme 2021
|
Fáilte Ireland
|
12
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Small Business Assistance Scheme for COVID (SBASC)
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Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment
|
State Aid is a term that refers to forms of public assistance, using taxpayer-funded resources, given to undertakings on a discretionary basis, with the potential to distort competition and affect trade between member states of the European Union.
The scheme is being funded under the COVID-19 EU State Aid Temporary Framework. There is a threshold of funding a legal entity can receive under this framework and grants will be capped in accordance. Other sources of funding under the COVID-19 EU State Aid Temporary Framework must be declared upon application and will be taken into account when calculating a successful applicant's final grant amount. Applicants must declare if they received any of the following forms of State Aid.
- Q5. If a business received the Adaptation Grant are they eligible for the this Scheme?
Yes, businesses in receipt of the Adaptation Grant may be eligible should they meet the full eligibility criteria set out in the Guidelines. They must declare whether they are in receipt of the Adaptation Fund along with any other funding under the COVID-19 EU State Aid Temporary Framework.
- Q6. Is 2019 turnover relating to the business financial year or the calendar year?
This relates to the calendar year, January to December 2019.
- Q7. What if my financial year doesn’t run from January – December?
If your financial statements cover a period other than January – December 2019, please indicate on your application form the turnover relating to the January – December period, and upload the financial statements you have which end in 2019. If further financial information is required during the assessment, the evaluation team will be in contact with you.
- Q8. How will the grant be paid?
The grant will be paid by electronic transfer to the business account detailed on the application form.
- Q9. When will the Scheme be open for applications?
The scheme opened for applications on Thursday August 5th, 2021.
- Q10. What is the closing date for applications to the Fund?
The closing date for the submission of applications is 12 Noon on Friday September 17th, 2021.
- Q11. How long will it take to receive payment?
Evaluations for this Scheme will not begin until after the Scheme has closed for all applicants on this date.
Due to the anticipated high volume of applications, Fáilte Ireland will endeavour to process applications as quickly as possible. We will keep all applicants informed throughout the application process of anticipated timeliness for completion. Only fully completed forms will be processed, and the onus is on the applicant to ensure that applications are completed correctly and fully, in order to expedite the procedure.
The final grant awards can only be determined once all applications have been checked and the evaluation process is completed. While we anticipate that this may be November 2021, approximately 8 weeks after the scheme closes, every effort will be made to expedite payments as soon as possible.
- Q12. Is there a limitation to what the grant aid can be spent on?
Successful applicants must confirm payment received will be used for the defrayment of fixed costs. Any monies granted by Fáilte Ireland under the Scheme will be used solely by eligible beneficiaries in accordance with the purposes of and objective of the Scheme i.e., to support the continuity of tourism businesses.
- Q13. Downturn in Turnover: how do you treat income earned in 2020 but paid during June '20 - May'21?
The revenue detailed in your financial statements, is used to determine if your business’ eligible revenue is down 75% from 2019 to the defined period in the guidelines.
- Q14. I operate from more than one business premises, how do I apply?
If the business is a single legal entity, but operates an accommodation group, or has more than one property on the Fáilte Ireland Q3 2021 NQAF listings (“Eligible Property”), then an application should be made at a group level, i.e., a single application to cover the entire group of eligible properties.
- Q15. I have more than one eligible business, how do I apply?
If you have more than one business/affiliate company that meets the eligibility criteria and are established as separate legal entities, applications are to be submitted per legal entity.
Payment of grants will be issued per legal entity taking into account State Aid rules per Applicant. The maximum funding level under the “Temporary Framework for State Aid Measures to Support the Economy in the Current Covid-19 Outbreak” will be considered per Applicant for all affiliate businesses.