Sinn Féin spokesperson on Enterprise, Trade and Workers’ Rights, Louise O’Reilly, has today slammed Fine Gael for failing to hear businesses’ warnings about the difficulties in accessing the Increased Cost of Business (ICOB) grant.

Her comments come as businesses across the state now find themselves locked out of the government’s ‘Power Up’.

Louise O’Reilly said:

“I am being contacted by businesses across the state today who are deeply concerned that they will now not be able to access the Power Up grant. Despite numerous complaints from businesses about accessing the second round of the Increased Cost of Business (ICOB) grant, Fianna Fáil and Fine Gael ploughed ahead with a scheme based on the exact same model.

“There is chaos amongst businesses this week. Many of them saw this funding in the Budget and breathed a sigh of relief – they are now relying on it but failure to properly address issues with the criteria means those who need it most are now locked out of the scheme. It is bureaucracy and red-tape gone mad.

“I welcome that, after I raised this with the Minister, the application deadline has now been extended to 22nd November. The next nine days have to be used to ensure that businesses that are entitled to this grant can access it.

“Across our cities, towns and villages Fianna Fáil and Fine Gael have allowed countless businesses to shut down. Many of these are in the heart of our community. They are small, family owned businesses that sponsor GAA teams, hold coffee mornings for local charities and provide a social space for everyone young and old. They are the businesses that Fine Gael and Fianna Fail’s bureaucracy, red-tape and crippling costs have closed down.

“Sinn Féin warned the government about this. That is because we listen directly to businesses. We have proposed a scheme, administered directly by Revenue, that wouldn’t require hours of form-filling and paperwork to be accessed and could go straight to the businesses who badly need it.”