Michael McGrath (Cork South Central, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

I have acknowledged that the price pressures are impacting on people negatively. It is not just energy prices although the headline inflation rate has been driven up substantially by energy prices. We are also seeing it coming through in rising food prices in our supermarkets. Of course that is a concern. However, we have to look at what the Government is doing in the round. I spoke about the public sector pay improvements. We are seeing wage improvements across the private sector as well. When we add to that what the Government has done in the context of the budget with more than €1 billion provided by way of social welfare improvements and taxation reductions, as well as what we are doing and planning to do much further in the area of retrofitting, which will greatly assist people in reducing their energy costs and which will make the whole system much more sustainable. I look forward to the implementation of the credit the Government has committed to as well in respect of electricity costs. We are doing a lot. The Government always keeps these issues under review.

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