Omicron support package information: FOI release

Information requested

Details of the number of payments, total amount, and average amount for each payment from the Omicron support package since its implementation.

Response

The information provided below is in relation to Covid-19 business support grants that have been issued to business recipients in Scotland.

Summary: Grant funding allocated to business owners in Scotland:
Since the start of the pandemic, businesses have benefitted from more than £4.4bn in financial support from the Scottish Government. This is more than the funding we received from the UK Government for that purpose. In addition to that £375m of funds as a support package for businesses impacted by the necessary measures introduced to control the spread of Omicron has also been allocated in financial year 2021/22.

Funding to business has been guided by a number of financial reporting stages such as Autumn and Spring Budget Revisions and account reporting needs as the pandemic has progressed. A summary of all Coronavirus (COVID-19) Scottish business support funding updated to 12 April 2022 is available at:
Coronavirus (COVID-19): summary of Scottish business support funding - gov.scot (www.gov.scot)

Specific financial support given to businesses impacted by necessary measures introduced to control the spread of Omicron
The number of awards and total value of awards are published here- Coronavirus (COVID-19): business support management information – 25 March 2022 - gov.scot (www.gov.scot).
The table below summarises the Omicron awards made to businesses that we have data available for.

Funding Scheme Title	Number of Awards Paid to date	Total Value of Awards paid to date (£m)	Average (mean) award (£)
Hospitality: December and January Business Support Top Up	10,648	51.1	4,801
Hospitality and Leisure: January Business Support Top Up	12,363	19.8	1,598
Public House Table Service Restrictions Fund January	2,288	6.3	2,737
Nightclub Closure Fund	123	4.2	34,106
Scottish Brewers Support Fund	98	1	10,469
Taxi and Private Hire Driver and Operator Support Fund- Taxis	18,416	13.8	750
Taxi and Private Hire Driver and Operator Support Fund- Operators	9,616	10.5	1,093
Freelancers Hardship Fund [1]	1,766	3	1,699
COVID-19 Business Support and Continuity Tourism Fund [1]	895	6	6,704
Scottish Wedding Industry Fund Top Up	2,562	2.9	1,145
Spectator Sport Fund	5	2.8	562,000
Grant support for the events sector [1]	545	6.1	11,193
Outbound Travel Support Fund	303	4.4	14,521
Close Contact Fund [1]	8,074	19.2	2,378
[note 1] Data on these schemes is held at the aggregate level and was subject to rounding. This reduces the accuracy of the 'Average (mean) award (£) for these schemes.

Please note the schemes listed below as part of the Omicron package of support on- Coronavirus (COVID-19): business support funds - gov.scot (www.gov.scot)-  are still collecting fund data which will be published shortly:

•  Scottish Food and Drink Producers Fund
•  Scottish Wholesale Food and Drink Resilience Fund
•  Childcare Sector Omicron Impacts Fund

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