Michael Fitzmaurice (Roscommon-Galway, Independent) | Oireachtas source

I will stop at four minutes if the Acting Chairman wants to give Deputy Nolan the minute.

I welcome this announcement but one thing I would say is here have been a few announcements on different energy schemes in the last six or eight months, some of which involve Enterprise Ireland. Is that correct? It is through Enterprise Ireland that businesses can look for the rebates back or where they fill in the forms. What we are hearing back from businesses is that Revenue is making it ferociously difficult for businesses in rural areas. This is not coming from just one company but from a lot of different companies. They are saying that something is announced but it is like trying to climb the reek if you are not able, you cannot get it back. Revenue needs to work with these people.

I spoke to a business person today employing 130 people who was just so frustrated. I might bring the case to the Minister if he is willing to look at it. This person was so frustrated because they were told not to submit their application yet. If there is money out there and a business is haemorrhaging cash or its ESB bills are going up substantially, it must be able to get the help it needs, especially when it is employing that number of people in a rural area. I spoke to a person who makes machinery in Mayo, whose accountant said that the scheme is highly cumbersome. We need to streamline it and make it as workable as possible to help businesses.

I welcome the announcement that money will be going back to people but the one thing I would say is that those in middle Ireland who are paying the taxes are struggling at the moment and we need to not forget them. I ask the Minister to make sure to address problems with the scheme. Everything I am hearing from people who are in business all of their lives suggests that there seems to be a roadblock when they go to look for this money. In some cases, they are being told not to submit an application yet because the scheme is not ready. There is no point in announcing something if it is not ready to do. What was said to me is there seems to be a stumbling block in the way of getting the money out to people and I would like the Minister or his officials to address that.

The Acting Chairman can give the rest of my time to someone else.

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