Mark Ward (Dublin Mid West, Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

The cost of living is out of control and families are under real financial pressure as a result. Food costs are soaring while people's incomes stay the same. Every day, people who are struggling come into my constituency office on Neilstown Road. Their struggle is not just with the cost of living. People are contacting my office who are struggling because of the housing crisis, whether that be the lack of housing, sky-high rents or because they are among the thousands languishing on never-ending public housing lists. In addition, 10,000 people are now homeless, thousands of whom are children. We are back to 2019 levels of homelessness under this Government.

There are countless parents who are desperately trying to access care for their children, who have been left on waiting lists for speech and language therapy, occupational therapy and psychology services. Representatives of the Quarryvale food bank, which is located in my area, told the children's committee earlier in the year that people are accessing that service because they have to pay privately for the care for their children that should be provided under the public health service. This is an absolute disgrace. Ordinary workers and families are exhausted even before they are hit by the cost-of-living crisis. No one should ever have to face the choice between putting food on the table or paying the rent. People are under real pressure. The Government must listen to ordinary workers and families and it must act to address the issues they face.

I commend my colleague, Deputy Kerrane, on bringing forward this motion. It is a simple one, which proposes to put money back in the pockets of the people who are most affected by the cost-of-living crisis. It would give workers and families a break and the ability to breathe, put food on the table and recharge their batteries for fighting all the other difficulties the Government has put on them. Sinn Féin is offering not one solution but a raft of solutions, including putting a month's rent back in people's pockets and cutting childcare costs by two thirds. These measures would make a real difference to people in the here and now. We need to listen to what ordinary workers and families are saying and we must put the measures in place to help them. It is up to the Government to act on this.

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