Seán Crowe (Dublin South West, Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

We are calling on the Government to introduce an emergency budget to deal with the rising cost of living. None of us should have to make a speech outlining the challenges facing families. We see the evidence of that every day. Many of the people to whom I speak say they are at their wit's end and do not know how they will pay the next bill. They are dreading the postman coming up the driveway to deliver more of them. When one pulls into a garage, one sees straight away the increase in the cost of petrol and diesel. When people go for a fill of home heating oil, they see the difference in price. People are telling me the rising cost of food bills is impacting on their families.

Everything is going up, but wages are certainly not going up to match. We know the costs of renting a room. The cost of trying to get rental accommodation is above and beyond the ability of most people now. Therefore, people are travelling further and further when they are trying to get to work and trying to keep their jobs, but they are taking home less and less income. What we are asking for, and what people are calling for, are more supports.

The founder of Ballycullen food bank described the demand for its services last month in the context of eat or heat. The demand has more than doubled in just the last few weeks. I was talking to people at a meeting I had last night. We were going through the number of food banks that have been established in many communities and in many community centres right across my constituency. I argue, again, that this is probably happening in the constituency of every TD in the Chamber. We are saying that people cannot wait. When the Government is asked about this issue, the response is that it has to wait until October. People cannot wait until October. The message we are sending out tonight is that we are appealing to TDs of all parties and none to think again, to think of their constituencies and to think of the challenges facing the families out there and to deliver an emergency budget. This is the message. It is a strong one, but this needs to be done.

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