Mary Lou McDonald (Dublin Central, Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

I thank the Tánaiste for his reply. Those high structural costs, as he knows, long predate this particular cost-of-living crunch, which I am sure he would acknowledge.

The Government's response to these matters has been slow. It has lacked urgency but we can agree to disagree on that. What I would like us to agree on is that families preparing to get children back to school in late August need help and assistance now. I put it to the Tánaiste again that it is crucial that middle-income families have access to a back-to-school payment.

The Tánaiste pointed out that there was some improvement in the budget. That is now grossly insufficient.

We calculate that as many as 500,000 households need to be given this payment in middle-income brackets. Furthermore, those on lower incomes and fixed incomes need a substantial hike in the level of the payment made to them. Will the Government move on this urgent matter now? The children will go back to school in August and as I described, the bills and the pressure for payment is happening now and we need action now on these precise measures.

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