Cathal Crowe (Clare, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

I thank the Minister for his response. He has listed some of the additional challenges and costs these businesses are facing. I would like to highlight one of them. Just last week, we all saw supermarkets unveiling new bottle and tin can recycling machines.

They cost €15,000 apiece but there is no Government support for that. They have all had to go down this route. There is a whole lot more that can be done for these businesses. Many are on the brink. Since 2019 our local shop and local pub in our village have closed. That is it. There is no more. That is our village gone. We are left with just a church, a school and a GAA field. That is so typical in many Irish communities. My worry is that this grant, while very welcome, and businesses will be glad to get it, will not be enough, given the rising costs they are facing. A sum of €4,200 per employee per annum is a hell of a lot of money, especially if one is employing 12 or 15 people in a village. Again, I do not think the rates base is enough. We used other metrics during Covid to drive supports to businesses. The rates base just reflects the floor space a business occupies but there is a lot more that we could consider.

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