Decision on EWSS needed to give certainty to Irish businesses – Carroll MacNeill

A timely decision about the future of the EWSS must be made to ensure the survival of Irish businesses, a Fine Gael TD has said.

Speaking in the Dáil yesterday, the Dún Laoghaire TD, Jennifer Carroll MacNeill, said: “The EWSS is due to end in March but many businesses will need continued support after that period.

“I am calling on the Minister for Finance to make a decision about the future of the EWSS and communicate this to businesses immediately.

“I thank him for his work on this, for putting the scheme in place and for its efficiencies to date. It is fair to say that without it we would have more than 300,000 employees who would either be on substantially lower incomes or who may not be in work at all.

“This transfer from the State to families directly is able to keep people paying existing mortgages and allow them to continue with their lifestyle and employment.

“One of the aspects of the scheme that has been so helpful to businesses, especially small businesses and employees in them, is the certainty that the EWSS model has given them. They can continue to get through the difficulties of lockdowns and the difficulties they face in other parts of their lives knowing there is a degree of income security in their house for those who are eligible to avail of it.

“It is also important to note that different types of certainty are needed for different businesses.

“Some businesses will need to plan to come off the EWSS. They will require advanced notice of any winding-down of the scheme.

“Other businesses may need to continue availing of EWSS and other Government supports. They need a clear signal now that support will be in place for them when they need it.

“The hospitality industry has been hit particularly hard. Many businesses haven’t been able to benefit from the reduced VAT rate because they haven’t been able to open. The continuation of the EWSS may be particularly important when they reopen to enable them to claw back some of that lost revenue.

“To be able to ride out this crisis and get through it we need the type of supports that ensure people can stay with their employer. This scheme has been doing that extremely well.

“We need to continue to provide business owners with certainty, and signal that supports will remain in place throughout 2021.”

ENDS