A month has passed since the Government promised compensation to families and businesses affected by prolonged power cuts. Despite this, the application forms enabling those who suffered losses to claim the compensation owed to them have not even been published, let alone has the compensation itself been paid, the Nationalist Party said Monday.

This delay is unacceptable, particularly for the self-employed and small and medium-sized businesses which, a month ago, had to close their doors, turn customers away, lose hours and days of work, dispose of products and food and, in some cases, suffer damage to their equipment.

These are not hypothetical costs. They represent money lost by businesses that must continue paying their employees, rent and bills, the PN said.

For many businesses, particularly smaller ones, cash flow is essential. A business that lost one or more days of income cannot wait months for the Government to establish a process, handle applications and eventually decide who should be paid and how much.

The PN said it immediately called for an automatic compensation system based on clear and transparent criteria, including the duration of the power cut, damage to equipment, the loss of products and stock, lost sales and the forced closure of the business.

Unfortunately, the government continued to insist that compensation would not be granted automatically, saying instead that it would issue application forms for those affected by power cuts lasting more than six hours. Yet if, one month later, the government has still not even published these forms, how can businesses apply?

The Government and Enemalta already have information showing where the power cuts occurred and how long they lasted. Wherever this information can be used to establish who was affected, compensation should be paid automatically or through the simplest possible process, instead of requiring those who have already suffered losses to submit documents and navigate bureaucratic procedures.

Where additional losses were incurred, such as damage to equipment, stock that had to be discarded, lost sales or forced closure, there should be an efficient mechanism through which these losses can be declared and fairly compensated, the PN said.

It is not enough for the government to say that it will provide compensation. The compensation must reach those who need it-and it must reach them immediately.

A business that had to turn customers away a month ago because it had no electricity lost those sales on that day. A business that had to dispose of products lost that money on that day. A small business that was forced to close cannot wait months to recover part of what it lost because of the Government's inefficiency.

Families that endured long hours without electricity must also receive the compensation they were promised without further delay. However, in the case of businesses-particularly SMEs and the self-employed-the delay can place real and direct financial pressure on their operations.

Businesses that operate throughout the year, pay taxes, create jobs and keep our economy running cannot be left to shoulder alone the costs caused by the Government's lack of planning.

The PN therefore insists that the government immediately publish the compensation process, reduce bureaucracy to the bare minimum and begin issuing payments without further delay, the party said.

The very least the Government can do, after failing to provide a reliable electricity service, is ensure that the losses suffered by families and businesses are compensated fully, fairly and, above all, promptly, it added.

The statement was signed by Michael Piccinino, Shadow Minister for the Self-Employed, Small Enterprises and Cooperatives, and Darren Carabott, Shadow Minister for the Economy, Technology and Strategic Projects.