Louise O'Reilly (Dublin Fingal, Sinn Fein)
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216. To ask the Minister for Finance if he will report on the change to the temporary business energy support scheme (details supplied); the businesses that will be eligible; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [8164/23]

Michael McGrath (Cork South Central, Fianna Fail)
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Details of the Temporary Business Energy Support Scheme (TBESS) are set out in Finance Act 2022. The scheme provides support to qualifying businesses in respect of energy costs relating to the period from 1 September 2022 to 28 February 2023 and 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.

The TBESS operates by reference to bills for the metered supply of natural gas and electricity. It is available to eligible businesses whose average unit price of electricity or gas has increased by at least 50% for the relevant billing period between September 2022 and February 2023, as compared with their average unit gas or electricity price in for the corresponding reference period in the previous year. Where this threshold is met, payments will be made to qualifying businesses on the basis of 40% of the amount of the increase in eligible electricity or natural gas costs between the bill amount which is the subject of the claim and the bill amount in the corresponding reference period in the previous year.

It has always been the case that a public body carrying on a trade or profession, the profits of which are chargeable to tax under Schedule D Case I or II, is eligible for support under the TBESS in the same way as other business that meets all the eligibility criteria. There has been no change in policy in this regard. Revenue recently updated the guidelines on the operation of the TBESS to clarify the position in relation to public bodies carrying on a trade or profession in response to queries received.

Of note, public bodies and businesses engaged in passive activities, for example, rental income taxable under Case V, or investment income, are outside the scope of the TBESS.