2026-04-28

122. Deputy Rose Conway-Walsh asked the Minister for Enterprise, Tourism and Employment the additional measures he will put in place to support small and medium-sized enterprises facing increased operating costs arising from the ongoing fuel crisis; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [30925/26]

I should not need to tell the Minister that businesses up and down this country are really suffering from an energy crisis that the Tánaiste and the Minister's party leader have acknowledged is the worst the world has ever seen. Yet, in the eyes of business owners, the scale of the supports from the Government do not match the scale of the crisis. What additional new measures will the Government put in place to support all businesses facing increased operating costs arising from the ongoing fuel crisis caused by the US-Israeli war in Iran?

I thank the Deputy for her question. The Government understands the pressures that rising fuel and energy costs are placing on small and medium enterprises, SMEs. These are not abstract figures. These are family businesses, local employers and community anchors in every town and village across our country. That is why the Government has acted quickly, decisively and in a targeted way. In March and April, we introduced a substantial package of fuel supports to the tune of €750 million to cushion businesses against the current fuel shocks. These include VAT inclusive reductions of up to 32 cent on diesel, 27 cent on petrol and 7.4 cent on green diesel, alongside a reduction in the NORA levy and the deferral of planned carbon tax increases until budget time. This is immediate, real relief at the pumps for businesses that cannot pass these costs on. However, we did not stop there. We also strengthened sector-specific supports where fuel is a non-negotiable input. These include an increase in the diesel rebate scheme, rising to 12 cent per litre; a new road transporter's support scheme for haulage and coach operators; and €100 million for a fuel subsidy support scheme for our farmers, contractors and fishers during peak fuel use months. These are targeted interventions. At the same time, we are backing SMEs to reduce their dependency on volatile fuel markets through SEAI grants, energy audits, business energy upgrades and supports for microgeneration. Firms are being helped to permanently reduce their operating costs. We are also ensuring access to finance through the growth and sustainability loan scheme, offering long-term, low-cost loans of up to €3 million. Finally, we are also tackling cost pressures structurally through the action plan on competitiveness and productivity and the cost of doing business advisory forum.

Business owners are begging for supports. Many of them joined the recent fuel protests as a last resort, just to have their voices heard. This comes in the context of the Government's spring economic statement, which predicts a surplus of €9.2 billion for this year, up from the €5.1 billion predicted on budget day. Many of the businesses we are talking about have contributed substantially to that figure. Small- and medium-sized enterprises are the backbone of our economy. They sustain local communities, especially in rural areas like Mayo. Half-measures and piecemeal offerings so far have barely scratched the surface and not provided meaningful relief for SMEs. I put forward some suggestions recently to the Minister regarding more flexible payment options for grants administered by his Department, including upfront payments or staged instalments, rather than reimbursement as a lump sum after works have been carried out, but he rejected that proposal. I also suggested increasing the energy-efficiency grant from 75% to 100% for eligible costs to help businesses to decrease energy costs in the long term.

I thank the Deputy. I respect the concerns that she has raised, but do not accept the suggestion that we are leaving SMEs behind. Sinn Féin's talk around spending vast and wide in regard to budget surpluses is irresponsible. We have surpluses on the back of prudent and careful management of our economy. SMEs have been the beneficiaries in regard to the resources that we have at our disposal in recent weeks. These are designed precisely at a moment when our SMEs are exposed to fuel shocks at this magnitude. That is why we have ensured that we have seen reductions immediately at the pumps. We also have targeted schemes for transport operators, for agriculture, fisheries and contractors and SMEs dotted across our rural communities and across the country who need targeted supports at the most critical time of the season when they are very busy and have huge fuel consumption. We have put a real package of substance together to deal with the immediacy and the urgency in the here and now.

The Minister of State may thank the protestors for anything that has been put in place. The proposals I presented to the Minister of State earlier would encourage greater uptake of the grants and secure the futures of many SMEs, but he has refused to take those on board. I want to talk about it in the context of tourism. Tourism is the heartbeat of many Irish communities, especially in rural communities that depend on visitors to sustain local economies and jobs. As a rural TD, I can tell the Minister of State that public transport, as he will know, is scarce. Tourists rely on private bus operators to bring them to towns along the Wild Atlantic Way. For example, hospitality providers are worried that spiralling fuel costs will make these trips unviable for operators or that they will become so expensive that tourists simply will not come. Higher fares mean fewer visitors, and fewer visitors mean fewer jobs. If the routes are cut, rural Ireland pays the price. The Government should be doing all it can to ensure this will not materialise.

I reassure all our transport operators that the Minister, Deputy O'Brien, along with the Government, have introduced a substantial package of over €40 million a month to support our transport services, coach operators and haulage contractors. As someone who knows the importance of tourism in County Mayo, I look forward to Friday's launch of the Wild Mayo tourism strategy, which has a firm focus in regard to north Mayo and Achill Island. These are gems on the Wild Atlantic Way that we need to continue to promote and invest in. The Minister, Deputy Burke, has been working actively with Fáilte Ireland to drive our tourism programme to increase our visitor numbers because we know how vital it is to support more than 5,500 jobs locally. It also benefits the local economy to the tune of over €250 million. That is why we have introduced A New Era for Irish Tourism, which is a five-year strategy that is backed with real money through a capital programme.