Peadar Tóibín (Meath West, Aontú) | Oireachtas source

The biggest Internet database in the EU relating to the cost of living ranks Ireland as the sixth most expensive country in Europe in which to live. We are ranked the most expensive for the cost of rent, with only Switzerland and Luxembourg being more expensive than this State. The more frequently updated website, Expatistan, ranks Dublin as the fourth most expensive city in Europe, with only three Swiss cities being more expensive. The Minister's Government, including Fine Gael and Fianna Fáil, is presiding over a rapid increase in costs in this State, including costs to families, businesses and to society. Precious little is being done by the Government to put the brakes on these increases in costs that are affecting people throughout society at the moment. There have been 31 separate price increases in energy supplies in 2021 alone.

Farmers who are producing food have seen fertilisers, one of their most important inputs, triple in price in the last 12 months. That will mean an increase in food prices in the family home shortly as well. Energy costs have increased by more than 50%. Inflation in this State hit a 20-year high last November. There is no doubt that there are international factors, but the Government is playing a role in the increase in costs to families at the moment.

I want to mention the issue of housing and supply chains in this State. In the first quarter of 2021, house building was closed down. For four months, no homes were built. A total of 10,000 home under construction were not worked on. We were the only country in Europe that closed building sites completely in the first quarter of last year. Therefore, the country that had the biggest housing crisis was the only country that completely shut down the building of houses. Many of the supply chain problems we are seeing are outworkings of the Government's over-reliance on enormously long and severe restrictions. It is unfortunate that no other party will mention that in this debate.

Fuel is one of the main sources of these price increases. The Government has settled upon a carbon tax policy, which is draconian and blunt. It raises tax years in advance. The Minister does not even know the circumstances that people are going to be living in in two or three years, yet he is setting a carbon tax for those years, which is incredible. Carbon tax is meant to achieve a price to push people away from carbon fuels, but if the market has already achieved that price, then the carbon tax is punitive. It has no purpose other than to hurt many families around the country. The Minister could go to the EU and look for a VAT derogation. I spoke to the Taoiseach yesterday. He said that he has never asked the E U for a derogation on VAT. The only thing that seems to be warm this winter is the Government’s hands, from sitting on them all the time in regard to these issues.

I would bet the Minister all the money that we have that the Government has never gone and asked the EU to set the interest rates to have some level of break in respect of inflation. This is because Fine Gael and Fianna Fáil do not do that. It is a laissez fairepolitical party that allows these things to happen to families right across the country and it is wrong.

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