Michael Cahill (Kerry, Fianna Fail)
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357. To ask the Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment if the Power Up grant can be paid to a business (details supplied); and if he will make a statement on the matter. [7347/25]

Michael Cahill (Kerry, Fianna Fail)
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358. To ask the Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment if the Power Up grant can be paid in respect of retail dry cleaners (details supplied); and if he will make a statement on the matter. [7348/25]

Michael Cahill (Kerry, Fianna Fail)
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377. To ask the Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment if he will urgently rectify the current situation whereby dry cleaners are not considered as retail for the increased cost of business scheme and Power Up grant (details supplied); and if he will make a statement on the matter. [8072/25]

Peter Burke (Longford-Westmeath, Fine Gael)
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I propose to take Questions Nos. 357, 358 and 377 together.

In order to get payments to businesses before the end of 2024, the Power Up grant was aligned with the ICOB scheme and a business must have received the second ICOB grant and be in the hospitality, retail and beauty sectors in order to receive the Power Up grant. If a business was not in those sectors they were not eligible for the Power Up grant.

The reason for payments to those specific sectors is due to the greater impact that increased costs are having on the hospitality and retail and beauty sectors (As noted in the DETE-DSP joint working paper titled “An assessment of the cumulative impact of proposed measures to improve working conditions in Ireland”).

The Department used NACE codes to determine eligibility for those sectors. The NACE Coder is a European classification system that assigns organisations according to their business activities. Dry Cleaning businesses are not eligible for the second payment and the Power Up grant as their primary business is not in the retail or hospitality or beauty sector, as per the NACE Codes used to define business categories.

Michael Cahill (Kerry, Fianna Fail)
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359. To ask the Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment if small businesses that are struggling, that have paid their rates up-to-date and missed out on applying for the power up grant are now entitled to the grant (details supplied); and if he will make a statement on the matter. [7350/25]

Peter Burke (Longford-Westmeath, Fine Gael)
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The ICOB and Power Up schemes closed to registrations in 2024.

Following an extension to the deadline, the ICOB scheme closed on 29th May, 2024 and the Power Up grant closed on 22nd November, 2024 also following an extension to the deadline. In total, the Increased Cost of Business (ICOB) and Power Up grant schemes paid out over €400 million to SMEs right across the country.

In order to get payments to businesses before the end of 2024, the Power Up grant was aligned with the ICOB scheme and a business must have received the second ICOB grant and be in the hospitality, retail and beauty sectors in order to receive the Power Up grant.

One of the eligibility requirements of these schemes was that a business must be operating from a rated premises, have paid their rates or be in a performing rates plan as agreed with their Local Authority. Local Authorities had the final decision to determine eligibility.

In terms of broader supports for businesses, the National Enterprise Hub online portal provides all business owners with a centralised signposting service of over 230 Government supports from 23 Departments and Agencies. The Hub has a team of expertly trained advisors who can help to diagnose the needs of your business and direct you to the appropriate available supports or indeed put you in direct contact with the relevant agency. The Hub team can be contacted through the website () via live chat or by phone on 01 727 2100.