Catherine Murphy (Kildare North, Social Democrats)
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4. To ask the Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment if he will set out plans to support SMEs in the context of rising energy costs. [45400/22]

Leo Varadkar (Dublin West, Fine Gael)
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I think it is fair to say that this Government has not been found wanting when it has come to helping businesses get through difficult periods. The multi-billion euro financial assistance provided by Government during the pandemic was unprecedented, whether it was help with businesses’ wage bill so they could keep staff on, their overheads, the introduction of a cheaper, easier way to restructure and survive than examinership; the commercial rates waiver, or the reduction in VAT for the hospitality sector.

I'm very conscious of how worried businesses are now going into the winter and their concerns around energy costs. Unfortunately, Putin’s invasion of Ukraine is having massive consequences for the whole of Europe, not just Ireland.

The Government has already implemented measures to help ease the impact on enterprises of rising energy costs, including a temporary reduction in the excise duties charged, by 20 cent per litre of petrol, 15 cent per litre of diesel, and 2 cent in the excise duty charged on marked gas oil.

We are working on new proposals to help businesses with rapidly rising energy prices and I hope to be able to make a positive announcement about that in the Budget.

We’ll also 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 different schemes we already have in place for business.

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, cheaper alternatives.