Ms Annie Timothy:

I thank the Chair for the opportunity to address the committee. It is not something I would normally do because, like most retailers, we do not have time to put our heads above the parapet. On this occasion I could not let it pass. I operate a Londis supermarket in Roscommon town with my husband Vincent. We have been in the shop for the past 22 years. I can identify with all the challenges that have been mentioned by the speakers today but the one that really concerned me was the energy one because it is the one that has most affected our business in the past six months.

As Ms Buckley said, our ESB bill is normally on average approximately €6,000. Our bill went up to €20,000 and since I did the interview, I have had more phone calls from other retailers, business people and pub owners. I actually had someone's family member ring me from England only this week to find out how they would advise their dad on his energy costs going forward. There are huge concerns for us all. For instance, taking my energy bill since last April as an example, the difference in what I have paid in my energy bill would normally cover six months of the bill for the year and we still have the bills for October, November and December to come in.

I appreciate the temporary business energy support scheme that was announced in the budget and which we hope will come online for us now. However, we really need that to be backdated to last March in order that anybody that has been hit and is struggling has some hope or redemption coming forward. We desperately need the committee's help in all of this. We are locally owned and everything about us is local and for us to survive, we need the committee's support going forward. Otherwise viable businesses will become unviable. Some €37,000 has walked out of my back door from the bottom line over the past five months so that is the extent of it for me going forward.