Pearse Doherty (Donegal, Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

Tá costais mhaireachtála agus costais bhia, chíos, chairr, fhuinneamh, theas agus chúram leanaí ag ardú. Tá muintir na tíre seo, gnáth teaghlaigh agus oibrithe, ag streachailt. Níl go leor sa €100 a tugadh do dhaoine le dul in éadan costais leictreachais. Tá an ghéarchéim i bhfad níos leithne ná sin agus caithfidh an Rialtas é sin a thuiscint. Tá moltaí curtha chun tosaigh ag Sinn Féin chun dul i ngleic leis an ngéarchéim seo, na costais a laghdú agus cuidiú le daoine. Tá sé seo ina chúis imní do a lán daoine anois. Caithfidh an Rialtas réitithe réadúla agus uaillmhianacha a chur i gcríoch agus caithfear gnáthdhaoine a chosaint agus cuidiú a thabhairt dóibh, mar atá de cheart acu.

The Irish people faced a cost-of-living crisis. There is absolutely no doubt about that. In the 12 months to December, inflation reached the highest levels in 20 years. Rents are spiralling out of control as a result of the Government's housing plan. Childcare costs amount to a second mortgage for many families. Putting food on the table and running your car has never been more expensive. Energy prices rose by 27% and the cost of home-heating oil has soared by 53%. Prices will continue to rise, with workers and families under pressure like never before.

The Government has had months to deal with the cost-of-living crisis but it failed to come up with a comprehensive plan to support these households. Instead the Government is trading sound bites with leaks from parliamentary party meetings rather than real and immediate action. The Irish people deserve a Government that understands the difficulties that they are facing, not a Government that ignores, delays or, indeed, even makes things worse in some cases. The time to act is long overdue.

Not all households will feel the cost-of-living crisis equally. We know from the CSO that the poorest households spend three times more of their income on heating and lighting their homes than the richest households, and that those in the middle spend twice as much as those at the higher end.

For months, Sinn Féin has been raising the issues of the cost of living with the Tánaiste, with the Government and with the Taoiseach, and we have been bringing forward proposals that the Government has rejected over and over again. Since September, before the budget, we told the Government that what was needed was a €10 increase in core social welfare rates to protect those most in need of support. What the Government provided did not even keep up with price increases and, therefore, it is a de facto cut. These families will be poorer this year than they were last year. We must see an additional €5 increase in these core rates to prevent families and children from being worse off this year than they were last year. We in Sinn Féin have called for an extension of the fuel allowance season by two weeks and for the eligibility criteria to be expanded so that more people can avail of the fuel allowance. The Government has also refused to deal with this.

The Government needs to halt its plans. It is just crazy that, within three months, the Government plans to increase the cost of home-heating oil and gas by heaping on another carbon tax on those commodities despite the fact that home-heating oil has increased by 53% in the past year and energy prices are up by 27%. The Government needs to stop that increase that is about to take effect on 1 May.

We have called for a refundable tax credit equivalent to one month's rent putting up to €1,500 back in renters' pockets to deal with the fact that rents are out of control - rising by over 8% - and we need to ban rent increases for the next three years. That is some of the action that is required.

These are some of the measures that the Tánaiste and the Government could take to deal with the cost-of-living crisis. Far from trading soundbites at the Tánaiste's parliamentary party meetings and selective leaks, let us deal and get on with the job that Deputy Varadkar was elected to do. Let us govern. Let us make sure that people are protected.

Does the Tánaiste plan to take any meaningful action in relation to this situation rather than issue soundbites? It is time for Government to do its job to protect workers and families from being fleeced.

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