Dáil Éireann Debate, Wednesday - 12 July 2023
95. Deputy Louise O'Reilly asked the Minister for Public Expenditure, National Development Plan Delivery and Reform the breakdown of the €750 million in non-core expenditure listed as "other" in the summer economic statement (details supplied); and the monetary value of funding from that non-core expenditure which will be set aside for the temporary business energy support scheme. [34510/23]
View answerThe 2023 Summer Economic Statement (SES) was published on 4 July 4. The SES sets out the Government’s medium-term budgetary strategy and outlines the fiscal parameters within which discussions will take place ahead of Budget 2024. In planning the fiscal and budgetary response for 2024, Government will continue a balanced approach of supporting society while seeking to ensure fiscal sustainability.
In addition to additional core expenditure package of €5.2 billion, bringing core spending to €91.2 billion, Budget 2024 will also provide for non-core spending of €4 billion.
This non-core funding will continue Government's support for measures towards mitigating the temporary challenges our society is facing. This overall amount includes €2½ billion to provide humanitarian supports for arrivals to Ireland from Ukraine, €¾ billion for areas experiencing legacy impacts from the Covid-19 pandemic and an indicative €¾ billion for other non-core challenges.
This ‘other’ provision will provide for areas including necessary project funding to address the impact of Brexit, implementation of existing projects under our National Recovery and Resilience Plan and funding for RePowerEU projects. Exact allocations for each of these categories and other areas where there are expected to be temporary funding needs will be determined as part of the 2024 Estimates process.
The Temporary Business Energy Support Scheme (TBESS) was put in place to support businesses with increasing energy costs. €650 million was made available in 2022 with a further €650 million provided for eligible claims in 2023. At this point no provision has been made for the scheme under the 2024 ceiling. As such the reference to the TBESS in the footnote of the table referenced only applies to 2023.
