Michael McNamara (Clare, Independent) | Oireachtas source

I was hoping for more of a commitment from the Minister that this issue would be addressed, not that it might be or he hopes we will get there. It absolutely needs to be addressed. He talked about the general measures the Government has taken but he also spoke about the money that was spent earlier. The increase in the cost of fuel is something that could not really be predicted because it is caused very directly by the conflict in Ukraine. However, inflation is something that was very predictably driven by the monetary policies the Government, like many governments across the world, pursued throughout 2020 and 2021. The US, in particular, is now bearing the brunt of the policies President Biden introduced. I accept those policies were well intentioned but they have been catastrophic. The reason the cost of fuel is hurting people so much is that it is mirrored by increases in costs right across the system. That inflation includes food inflation, which the Government is doing nothing to combat in terms of the input costs, which will be passed on to consumers from next year, further driving inflation.

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