Ivana Bacik (Dublin Bay South, Labour) | Oireachtas source

I am pleased to speak on the Labour Party motion on the cost of living. This is a timely motion, as my colleagues, Deputies Nash and Kelly have pointed out. This is an issue that affects everyone across Ireland today. As we are moving into a new phase of the pandemic and all of us are cautiously optimistic, as we have seen the lifting of most restrictions at the end of last week, nonetheless, what is coming into stark focus now is the reality of increased costs for so many families, individuals and households throughout the country. What we have learnt throughout this pandemic is that the old way of doing politics simply is not good enough any more. We need to ensure we build on those collective values of solidarity that saw us through the toughest times in the pandemic and that we build on what are social democratic and socialist principles of greater roles for the State in intervening to address growing inequalities. I was very struck by the Oxfam figures showing the wealth of Ireland's nine billionaires increased by nearly 60% since March 2020 while for most people wages have stagnated while prices have increased. This is at a time of global insecurity, with Russian troops massing on the border in Ukraine, and consequences that Deputy Nash has spelt out of which we are all very aware in terms of rising prices for energy and serious implications for many in the manufacturing and other sectors throughout the country.

I want to focus on two areas in which the Government can make a real difference if it addresses them and takes up the challenge of greater public sector investment in public services and greater and more targeted measures to address them. There are two issues on which people in my constituency in Dublin Bay South and throughout the country are really being squeezed. Childcare is a significant issue given the massive costs. Ireland has the second highest household spend on childcare in the OECD. In my constituency, I hear daily and weekly from couples and individuals who are scrambling to make ends meet and to meet childcare costs, yet we know that across the sector while parents are facing unaffordable fees, staff are being paid at below poverty level in many cases. Many childcare and early years professionals are seeking to leave the sector as they are simply unable to afford to continue to work in it. Crèche and childcare providers are leaving the market and are no longer providing the service because they too are not getting the supports. I have called for a Donogh O'Malley moment where the Government takes up what Labour Women have called for in our equal early years campaign, where we take up the challenge and bring into play a proper, universal, public, community-run childcare system that is affordable for parents and that provides good quality childcare with good supports and recognition for childcare professionals and early years educators. This must be done. We have heard promises of reform from the Minister for Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth, Deputy O'Gorman, but there has been no delivery and parents still face high fees.

Then there is the cost of housing. In my constituency, 44% of all households are in the private rental sector. We are seeing unaffordable hikes in rents and the Government has failed to take action on progressing the Bill that I and Senator Moynihan pioneered and that the Dáil debated in September, which would, among other things, have frozen rents for a three-year period. Our renters' rights Bill would have brought in significant positive reforms for those renting and would have sought to address this serious cost and increase that so many families and individuals are facing.

What we want to see with this motion is a better Ireland than we have seen to date. We want to see an Ireland in which the collective principles of solidarity are built upon in which the State takes up the challenge of investment in public services and in which targeted measures are taken by the Government without delay to address rising costs and rising prices and, in particular, to target childcare and rent costs that are crippling so many families.

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