The organisation representing liquid gas suppliers here has criticised plans for a new Government scheme aimed at helping businesses with the increased cost of kerosene over the last year, because it does not include Liquified Petroleum Gas (LPG).
Yesterday the Government gave the go-ahead for the development of the scheme, which aims to help those firms who fall outside the Temporary Business Energy Support Scheme because they hear their premises with kerosene.
But Liquid Gas Ireland (LGI) expressed its concern at the exclusion of LPG, because the Government had previously said it would consider including it.
"Restricting this long-awaited scheme to kerosene users only represents a significant blow for the thousands of businesses that rely on LPG, particularly those located off the natural gas grid in rural Ireland," said LGI Policy Director, Philip Hannon.
"For many businesses, especially those operating in the hospitality sector, LPG is the most viable lower carbon energy source to address their energy needs."
"To deny these businesses the option of applying for support to help ease their energy costs is an unbalanced decision by Government."
The Government has said an analysis had found that LPG had increased by less than 20% during the reference period of the TBESS.
As a result, businesses would not qualify on the basis of this level of increase, using the TBESS parameters.
"We know that the details of the new scheme are still to be worked out across various Government departments and are due to be announced in the autumn. In the meantime, we urge the Government to relook at the scope of the scheme to ensure that business users of LPG are not discriminated against," Mr Hannon added.
