Leo Varadkar (Dublin West, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

We certainly can do analysis, we have and we will do more. We can make projections but, unfortunately, I do not believe that these projections can be particularly helpful. The truth is that no one of us can guess how long this energy price crisis will go on for and no one can say how high gas and electricity prices will go. That is the reality of the situation. One can make one’s projections but they are entirely based on assumptions and those projections essentially, to be polite about it, are going to be guesswork if prices double, treble, quadruple or increased tenfold. One can do it oneself but it will not be particularly helpful for decision-making.

We are developing three schemes that will help a business. One is a loan scheme similar to what we had for Brexit and Covid-19. The second is a grant scheme for manufacturers and exporters who are the higher energy users, again similar to what we had during the Covid-19 period. Then we have a broader measure to help small businesses, in particular, namely, the retailers, hospitality sector and so on. That is what I am trying to put together between now and budget day.

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