Aindrias Moynihan (Cork North West, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

I thank the Minister. Many people here are struggling with the cost of living and inflation is running at almost 7%. Energy prices are seen as a huge component of this. More and more everyday items are becoming involved. This is impacting on the cost of living and challenging people. As I said earlier, we saw how the disruption in insulation and timber impacted on construction costs after our lockdown.

This is affecting €20 billion worth of all types of goods, including machinery, electronics, dishwashers, fridges and textiles coming out of China. There is disruption in supply and subsequent price increases are expected in scarce materials here that will hit the cost of living for people and put more pressure on them. It is not exclusively an Irish problem. It is also hitting people throughout Europe and globally. Has the Minister engaged with EU colleagues on measures that could be taken and on co-operating to see whether the disruption and cost for people could be minimised?

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