Mary Lou McDonald (Dublin Central, Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

I shared stories with the Taoiseach, real lived experiences in the here and now. People are making choices between heat and food. People feel lost and frightened. It is not an exaggeration to say that families are staring into the abyss. That is the truth. You cannot spin the truth of people's lives. The Government has not cushioned these people or their families. The budget did not do it and the package announced last week did not do it. They are the facts. I hope the Taoiseach will show a willingness to listen to that reality.

What I am asking for and what these families need are initiatives that take costs down. I have shared with the Taoiseach the fact that many people are shelling out huge sums of money to live in small and damp accommodation - kips, quite frankly, if I can use that term. I have asked the Taoiseach time and again to intervene to bring the cost of rent and childcare down. We have also asked him to ditch the notion of a carbon tax hike in May. He refuses to do those things. He cannot spin the truth of people's lives. People cannot wait until October for relief and real help. I am asking the Taoiseach again to hear these stories, respond and act now, not to drive inflation but to take costs down.

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