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

I propose to take Questions Nos. 5, 10, 11 and 18 together.

I think it is fair to say that the Government has not been found wanting when it has come to helping businesses get through difficult periods and saving the jobs of people who work in those businesses. The multibillion euro financial assistance provided by Government during the pandemic was unprecedented, whether it was help with businesses' wage bills so they could keep staff on, their overheads, the introduction of cheaper, easier ways to restructure and survive, the small companies administrative rescue process, or SCARP, scheme, the commercial rates waiver or the reduction in VAT for the hospitality and retail sectors.

I am conscious of how worried businesses are as we go into the winter and they see the high energy bills. Putin's invasion of Ukraine has had massive consequences for the whole of Europe, not just Ireland. Indeed, we are now facing a global inflation crisis. We are working on new proposals to help businesses with rapidly rising energy prices and I expect to be in a position to make a positive announcement about that on budget day. We will be looking to raise awareness around energy efficiency, helping businesses reduce the amount of energy they use in the first place and improving take-up of the approximately 20 existing schemes that we already have in place for business to help them reduce their energy costs. For example, in June, we announced a new €55 million green transition fund to help businesses move away from fossil fuels and towards more sustainable alternatives, which, increasingly, are cheaper alternatives as well.

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