Darragh O'Brien (Dublin Fingal, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

Let us be very clear. As the Deputy knows, Government is acutely aware of the pressures families and our people are under. Inflation is not just an issue in this country, but worldwide. It has been brought about by the war in Ukraine and issues with regard to supply chains, food and energy in particular. We have already introduced approximately €2.4 billion worth of measures to try to soften that blow.

We will not be able to remove the effects of inflation completely. The Taoiseach and Tánaiste have been very clear that we will be doing more but we need to do it in a focused, targeted and strategic way. One of the best ways to do that is to take a whole-of-government approach at the budget this year. The measures we have already introduced are really significant and are significantly more than our nearest neighbours. We are aware of the pressures families are under and we will be introducing more measures, particularly at budget time.

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