Richard Boyd Barrett (Dún Laoghaire, People Before Profit Alliance) | Oireachtas source

The minimum wage in this country gives people just over €400 a week. Does the Tánaiste honestly believe that is adequate to meet the cost of living? That is a joke. Maybe he is going to surprise me and say the minimum wage is going to be increased to €12.90, the living wage, or, even better, the rate we are proposing - €15, but I know he is not going to say that or do that. At the same time, the Tánaiste has nothing to say about the profiteering of the landlords or the energy companies. There is no response on that point. He does not have a problem with it. Why does the Tánaiste not focus on that? How is it acceptable that energy companies are seeing major increases in profits and landlords are making stratospheric profits on the backs of the heating and housing misery of ordinary people? Why does the Tánaiste refuse to act? The French have just brought in new rent controls with maximum prices on rent. The Government could do the same. Why does it not do that? It does not because it would affect the profits of landlords. Why will the Government not use the powers it has under the consumer Act to control the price of heating and energy?

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