Almost €12m has been left on the table by hospitality and retail businesses, following the closure of applications to the Government’s Power Up grant scheme.

Critics say that anomalies in the terms and conditions are to blame, with many businesses blocked from applying by technicalities.

Local authorities are administering the scheme on behalf of the Department of Enterprise. Announced in last month’s budget, the €4,000 one-off grant was designed to help shops, restaurants, beauty salons and pubs with the increased cost of doing business. The Government allocated €170m to the scheme.

On November 7, Enterprise Minister Peter Burke extended the registration deadline, after only 75pc of eligible businesses had applied. In order to be eligible for Power Up, firms had to have received the second payment under the earlier Increased Cost of Business (ICOB) scheme.

This was offered to businesses paying commercial rates of up to €30,000 – but some found themselves ineligible, because their rates were included in their rent, and therefore paid by their landlords. Other businesses did not apply because they were in arrears on their rates. In a nod to the difficulties some firms have experienced, the department said work is ongoing to help another cohort that may be eligible to register.

These were firms trading from a rateable premises who were unable to apply for Icob as they did not have a 2023 commercial rates bill because their property was not yet valued by Tailte Éireann.

“The department is also considering issues that have arisen regarding the classification of some businesses during the Icob process,” it said.

ICOB paid out €244m to 75,000 SMEs this year, the department added, bringing the total support to over €400m.

When he announced the extension of the Power Up deadline on November 7, Minister Burke said he had asked officials to consider how the scheme could be expanded within the allocated budget in order to accommodate some of the businesses that were ineligible. Asked to explain this, the department said a review process for Power Up, to examine particular cases, was under consideration – but this could not begin until after the closing date of November 22.