Seán Fleming (Laois-Offaly, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

I thank the Deputy for raising this particular issue. We have had discussions here about various forms of taxation, which is one part of the issue the Government has been dealing with, but there have been many other interventions as well. The Government has intervened on four occasions to address the increases in the cost of living, at a combined cost of approximately €2.1 billion.

First, budget 2022 contained an income tax package of €520 million. On the expenditure side, a social welfare package worth €558 million was introduced including, among other measures, a general €5 rate increase for working-age and pension-age recipients, and a €5 increase in the fuel allowance. People are aware that the fuel allowance, with the €5 increase and the extended period of time during which it is being out, is now worth over €1,000 each to the 390,000 people in receipt of it.

This means that €390 million is being spent on the scheme, which is vastly superior to the level of expenditure a short time ago.

A suite of measures was introduced in mid-February, amounting to €505 million. Measures included an energy credit of €200 to every household in the country, a once-off lump sum payment in respect of the fuel allowance and a 20% reduction in public transport fares.

In March, the Government agreed to VAT-inclusive reductions in excise duty of 20 cent per litre in respect of petrol, 15 cent per litre in respect of diesel and 2 cent per litre in respect of marked gas oil known as green diesel.

Finally, earlier this month, the Government announced a further set of measures amounting to approximately €180 million. These measures include a reduction in the VAT rate for electricity and gas to 9% from 1 May until the end of October, an additional payment in respect of the fuel allowance and an extension of the reduction in excise duty until budget day in mid-October.

While the Government has been proactive in limiting the fallout from the impact of higher energy and other prices, there is a limit on what we can do as many of these matters are outside our control. The people of Ireland understand that. The priority is to minimise the impact on those who are most affected. Many of the drivers of these issues are beyond the Government's control and we cannot fully insulate people from their entire effects.

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