Michael Ring (Mayo, Fine Gael)
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324. To ask the Minister for Finance if he will amend the temporary business energy support scheme to include costs for bulk LPG in areas where natural gas is not an option for businesses; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [1030/23]

Louise O'Reilly (Dublin Fingal, Sinn Fein)
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327. To ask the Minister for Finance the reason that liquid petroleum gas has been excluded from the temporary business energy support scheme. [1068/23]

Michael McGrath (Cork South Central, Fianna Fail)
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I propose to take Questions Nos. 324 and 327 together.

Details of the new Temporary Business Energy Support Scheme (TBESS) are set out in Finance Act 2022. The TBESS is available to tax compliant businesses carrying on a trade or profession the profits of which are chargeable to tax under Case I or Case II of Schedule D where they meet the eligibility criteria and to certain sporting bodies and charities. The scheme operates on a self-assessment basis.

In accordance with the scheme rules, the TBESS only applies to the metered supply of natural gas and electricity. The scheme is designed around determining increases in unit prices and actual consumption for each month falling within the period of the scheme as compared to the same month in the previous year based on information made available through electricity and gas meters.

For energy sources such as oil and LPG, it would be difficult to accurately determine the actual usage for each claim period (month), the relevant unit price for each claim period, or the actual increase in that unit price and usage over the same period in the reference period. For instance, an oil tank could be filled during the summer, with the oil being used in the winter months, or in February 2023 with the oil being used in the months that follow.

The TBESS is currently due to expire at the end of February and, in that context, in the coming weeks I will examine the operation of the scheme.