Micheál Martin (Cork South Central, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

I appreciate the offer of constructive engagement with the Government in terms of coming forward with ideas or viewpoints to tackle this issue. It is something the Government would welcome and it would respond to any constructive ideas brought forward on this issue.

I come back to the fundamental point that we cannot chase inflation from month to month. The political will is there. The political will, as the Deputy correctly pointed out, was there during Covid-19 when up to €48 billion overall was spent to underpin the salaries of workers and enterprises to keep jobs. We still have a strong economy in terms of almost full employment. We want to protect this as best we can. The forecasts and predictions for the markets to which we export are that by the end of the year or into next year their growth will slow down significantly. This is bound to impact on us at some stage of the economic cycle. We want to protect the jobs we have created. We have come out of Covid very strongly economically because of the policies we have taken. The same political will exists with regard to tackling the cost-of-living pressures on people.

Caithfidh mé a rá gurbh é an príomhrud ná go mbeidh plean cuimsitheach, láidir á chur ar fáil ag an Rialtas ionas go mbeimid in ann an brú atá ar dhaoine faoi láthair a ísliú. Is é an t-am is fearr chun é sin a dhéanamh ná le linn na cáinaisnéise.

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