Brendan Griffin (Kerry, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I welcome all of the measures that have been introduced. Anything that helps, is a help. The social welfare adjustments and the announcement today in respect of the €100 credit for account holders are important. It is not a perfect scheme. It is quite crude, but the credit is for €100. Those who need the credit will welcome it. I wish there was a quicker and more targeted way of doing it. Perhaps that can be worked on in the long term. The measure is welcome, but I still feel that a lot more needs to be done. From my research in this area, I know that in the year up to November, petrol prices increased by 27.5%, diesel prices by 26% and gas, water and heating prices by 12%. All of these increases are having an impact on householders. We need to do more. It is really squeezing people and causing massive hardship for them. We need to do more. I ask that we also look at taking a more co-ordinated approach at European level, because it is something that is happening throughout Europe.

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