Gary Gannon (Dublin Central, Social Democrats) | Oireachtas source

In 2022, in a modern wealthy republic, the Society of St. Vincent de Paul released a report today entitled, The Cost of Surviving?. There are many shocking findings in the report, but one that stands out for me is the fact that 30% of one-parent family respondents said that due to the rising cost of living they were cutting back on essentials like food. I am sure I am not the only person in the Chamber who has encountered a parent who has had to skip a meal so that a child does not have do. The Society of St. Vincent de Paul has made a series of recommendations for the short, medium and long term. Can the Minister tell me one policy that has been enacted in the suite of measures announced last week that will ensure that a parent in this Republic no longer has to skip a meal? It is a sad indictment of us as a society.

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