Leo Varadkar (Dublin West, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

The Government acknowledges that the cost of living is rising and that a lot of bills have increased in the past few weeks and months and may rise again into the new year. The Deputy will acknowledge that many of these cost increases are driven by international factors, not Government decisions, and involve prices set by commercial entities rather than the Government. The Government provided in the budget for an increase in the fuel allowance, extending it to more people, increases in welfare and pension payments, which kick in from 1 January, and decreases in income tax and personal taxation for middle-income people in particular, something not supported by Sinn Féin. The average middle-income couple will be €800 better off in cash terms, paying less tax, than would be the case under Sinn Féin's proposals. We have provided for other measures that will help families, such as the increase in the Student Universal Support Ireland, SUSI, grant next year and reductions in the cost of medicines. Those are the kinds of things we are doing, but we acknowledge that, while they will help with the rising cost of living, they may not be enough to fully compensate families for it.

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