11. Deputy Barry Ward asked the Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment if his attention has been drawn to cases whereby businesses that qualify for the increased cost of business grant and power up grant were misclassified in the wrong category; if an appeals system has been established to ensure they can draw this funding down; if this appeal system has been communicated to all local authorities; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [21733/25]

Sentiment score: 0.23

I wish to first acknowledge the huge supports the Government has put in place for businesses to deal with the increase the cost of doing business, energy and other factors. I have been contacted by several businesses that have been miscategorised for these grants and, as such, have been denied grants they could have otherwise got. Is the Minister aware of this and if so, is there a proper appeals mechanism in place to allow them to appeal against any decision that has been wrongfully made?

Sentiment score: 0.36

I am very pleased to hear the Government has approved that appeal process. It is obviously very important. The kind of businesses denied these facilities are quite vulnerable. They are small businesses that need these supports, so I welcome that. I note it was promised some time ago, so when the Minister of State says it will be available soon, how soon might that be and could significant pressure be put on to make that happen? Can the Minister of State also confirm that in circumstances where schemes are closed and businesses have been denied grants, if they are granted a successful appeal, that they will not be denied in any way the full grant they would have received had that mistake not been made? I also acknowledge, as the Minister of State has, the work of local authorities in this regard. Mistakes happen - I am not criticising that fact - but we must have fair procedures that mean when a mistake happens, a business is not left in a vulnerable position and that it is entitled to appeal and get the money it should have got in the first place.

Sentiment score: 0.27

I acknowledge what the Government has done. These supports are important. We are talking about small businesses that employ an enormous number of people throughout the country but are not massively profitable and, therefore, are vulnerable when these grants are not given to them. The grants are important to ensure their viability. Will the Minister of State do two things in particular? I acknowledge what he said about the appeal process coming along and we have spoken about this before. I welcome that. It is timely, and the more timely it is, the better. I hear what the Minister of State has said about the timeline, but if we could speed that up and have it in place by the autumn for businesses, it would make a considerable difference to local economies around the country. These businesses are the lifeblood of our economy. They need our support. The Government wants to support them, but I would like to see them getting what they are entitled to sooner rather than later. If there is a circumstance where a business got ICOB 1 and was denied ICOB 2 or did not get ICOB 1 and, therefore, was not entitled to ICOB 2, that needs to be rectified. We cannot leave any business in the lurch because of a simple clerical error that was made at local level. Let us try to fix this.

Sentiment score: 0.12