Seán Canney (Galway East, Independent) | Oireachtas source

I welcome this enhanced scheme for businesses. It is important. I come from a constituency with a lot of small businesses and shops in rural towns and villages which use a lot of energy for freezers, lighting and all that goes with it. The people have been suffering. It is important that the scheme that is now being proposed will benefit these small businesses.

It is important that the scheme is fit for purpose and that it is made as simple and accessible as possible for everybody. I know that is the intention. I welcome that.

Are farmers included in the scheme? In my neck of the woods, many farmers are out in their sheds during lambing season. They have the lights on all night and use a lot of energy. I know for sure that sheep farmers are finding it hard to make a living at the moment, never mind pay the additional costs of turning up the lighting and caring for the sheep stock. I hope farmers are included in the scheme and that it is accessible to them. Without support for each sector, including farming, we would be leaving a certain section of business people out in the cold.

I know that anomalies arise with all schemes. We must build the scheme in such a way as to deal with the anomalies and include discretion with respect to the rules to allow us to include as many people as possible. There are people in estates who have shared landlord areas and who are contributing towards the landlord's supplies. We need to ensure those people are included in the recovery of costs. I know of cases where industrial estates that are privately owned include public lighting. There is a cost to keeping those lights lit at night, especially at this time of the year. It is important that anything that is being done is inclusive and that it ensures that the money that is now being expended gets to the people who need it most as quickly as possible. That is important. The scheme, as it was developed, was too complicated and cumbersome for many people. Getting access to it was complicated. The philosophy of this scheme should be that it will be simple, easily accessible and available to all businesses, whether commercial, industrial, farming or otherwise. If we do it right, we will protect the many jobs that are in existence at the moment. People who are in business are hanging on by a thread. That is the case for people who have pubs, restaurants, shops and post offices in local communities. It is important that we protect everybody and that nobody is excluded. That is the kernel of the supports that are being brought in this week. We must show that we support everybody. We want to protect the future prospects of our country so more can come into the coffers as a result of this scheme and others like it. This is not a cost to the State. It is an investment in our businesses, jobs, workers, and in our economy for the future. I will keep the situation monitored. I hope the scheme will do exactly as has been said by the Minister.

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