Sinn Féin spokesperson on Enterprise, Trade, and Employment, Louise O’Reilly TD, has welcomed the commitment given to her by the Minister that financial supports for businesses using Liquefied Petroleum Gas and kerosene oil will be introduced in the coming weeks.

Teachta O’Reilly said:

“For many months Sinn Féin have been lobbying for supports for businesses who use Liquefied Petroleum Gas (LPG) and kerosene oil to meet their energy needs.

“Businesses with metered gas and electricity were able to make use of the Temporary Business Energy Support Scheme (TBESS) scheme to help with these bills, however, if a business relied on LPG or oil instead of gas, they were excluded from part of the scheme.

“Many businesses, especially those in rural Ireland rely on either LPG or oil to meet some of their energy needs, and this fault with the scheme puts them at a significant disadvantage.

“Sinn Féin first raised this matter last year and called on the government to support rural businesses who were left at a disadvantaged due to the exclusion of some of their energy costs from the TBESS scheme.

“In February, after months of lobbying, the Minister for Enterprise, Trade, and Employment gave me an initial commitment that he would investigate how SMEs and microbusinesses who rely on kerosene oil and LPG for energy could be supported.

“This morning, in front of the Enterprise, Trade, and Employment Committee, Minister Simon Coveney and gave me a firm commitment that a scheme would be established in the coming weeks to give financial support to SMEs who rely on kerosene oil and LPG for their energy needs. He also stated that the scheme would be backdated for firms.

“While this is long overdue, it is brilliant news for SMEs and microbusiness across rural Ireland and should be roundly welcomed.”