Paul Gavan (Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

I see two of the witnesses are in despair. I am sorry to hear that.

I despair that any time someone raises the issue of inequality to employer representative bodies, or points out the gap between the minimum wage and a living wage, the issue is never addressed. I will take up one issue Mr. Talbot mentioned regarding the cost of living. I agree with him that the cost of living is a massive issue. The issue of housing was mentioned. The only way that we can fix that is by a greater investment by the Government. Yet at the same time, the witnesses are saying we need to decrease taxes for business. Well, we cannot have it both ways. If we are going to address the housing crisis properly and have the long-term investment that has not been happening in housing, then that will cost taxpayers' money. To be honest, the witnesses are saying on the one hand things are really hard and we need to reduce taxes and they are also saying the Government must do more to address the cost of living. How does one marry those?