Heather Humphreys (Cavan-Monaghan, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

The Government has taken significant action which I have already listed. It includes a lump sum of €125 and a further lump sum payment of €100 this week; a €200 energy credit; excise reductions on fuel; public transport fare reductions of 20%; and the retention of lower VAT levels in the hospitality sector. On top of that, we introduced the largest social welfare package in 14 years last October. All of this has been done on the back of over €9.2 billion being paid on the pandemic unemployment payment over the past two years. Yesterday, we had record export figures. Child poverty is falling. The number of people at risk of poverty is falling. Incomes are up and inequality is down. The European Commission forecasts that Ireland will have the second highest growth in the EU this year. The unemployment rate is lower now than it was before the pandemic. The number of people on the live register is at its lowest for over a decade. We want to do more, however. My Department, along with the Minister for Further and Higher Education, Innovation, Research and Science, is developing more apprenticeships and training and education courses because the way out of poverty is employment.

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