Duncan Smith (Dublin Fingal, Labour) | Oireachtas source

A debate on flexible working arrangements is currently taking place and we cannot miss this opportunity to introduce strong flexible work legislation because it has cost of living benefits in areas such as transport. People are being pushed back into overcrowded buses and trains, the fares for which are expensive, and into their cars, which emit carbon and damage the atmosphere, when we could provide stronger protections to enable them to work from home and to be as productive as they were during the past two years but also to enable them to save money and improve their quality of life, which is unquantifiable in many ways, and reduce their cost of living in areas such as transport. The Government has promised a National Transport Authority flexible tax-saver ticket but we have not seen the details of it. If flexible work arrangements are to be introduced in any fashion, such a ticket will be required. Half-price fares for those under the age of 24 have also been promised but there is no sign of that being delivered. There seems to be some sticking point about that. The measures promised seem very far away from being delivered.

In the area of health, there are cost of living issues related to GP costs for families. Children aged eight and over are still excluded from the free GP scheme. I raised a Topical Issue matter on dental care this morning. Medical card holders with additional needs have to pay out of their own pockets for emergency dental care. These are real, emergency cost of living issues for people. We seem to be moving beyond the pandemic in terms of politics but there is still a role for the State to provide antigen tests and FFP2 masks to help suppress the virus throughout 2022.

I have been following the entirety of the debate and I thank my colleague, Deputy Nash, for leading on it. I have seen the work behind the scenes and how much we as a party believe in this issue and have pushed it earnestly, honestly and with some integrity. That has been acknowledged by the vast majority of the Opposition and I thank those Members for that. Those are Opposition Members who have crossed swords with us down the years and will do so again because we will differ on issues. They know that when we or any other party bring forward a measure, be it a motion or a Bill, that is coming from the right place and will help people, they will support it. They may make amendments to it, and we will accept the People before Profit amendment to motion, and make good contributions on it in the Dáil. That is why it is very disappointing when we see theatrics in the middle of a debate and Deputies who are more worried about a clip for their local radio station or their TikTok accounts than dealing with the substance of what is being discussed.

In this debate the Opposition has reflected what we are saying, namely, there is an issue with low wages in this economy. We need to see wages rise. The Minister is an avid cinemagoer, an avid reader and likes to listen to music, but if he were to go to a cinema, a bookshop or buy traditional music and ask the retail or service workers in those establishments about this issue, he would know they would be struggling with the cost of living because the vast majority of them are living on low pay or below the living wage.

That is what needs to change and that is at the centre of this motion. Social welfare rates are so far behind the rate of inflation that any increase provided for in the last budget and, indeed, the previous budget has been wiped away and evaporated and it has had no real impact in improving the quality of life for those people.

We are also proposing a windfall levy tax on energy companies and others. That has worked in other jurisdictions and it would work here. These are practical solutions. Like everything we bring forward, this is a pro-worker motion that will help people in every part of Ireland. We do not see Ireland as being divided. We see one country and every region of it needs help and assistance from this Government and this House. That is where we are coming from and where the vast majority of Opposition Members are coming from when they contribute to debates like this. I commend this motion to the House and I hope it will receive support.

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