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

I extend a very warm welcome to all the groups in the Public Gallery referred to by Deputy Cairns. Tá fáilte rompu go léir.

Parents across Ireland are under enormous pressure to meet extortionate back to school costs. It is a big source of stress for families every summer but this year is exceptional, given the ever worsening cost-of-living crisis. For weeks, we have been telling the Government that parents face huge back to school costs now and that an autumn budget would be far too late for families. Time and again, Ministers lined up to parrot the Government mantra that budget 2023, which is almost three months away, was the only way for the Government to help. Then, at dinner time yesterday, after weeks of stubbornness and just two hours before a Sinn Féin motion calling on the Government to act, its position changed. Suddenly, it was possible for the Government to step in with an increase in the rate of the back to school allowance for those already in receipt of that payment. The Minister could have saved all those families weeks of worry by making this announcement and taking this decision sooner. However, I welcome the Government's U-turn. I am glad it has finally listened to the Opposition, at least in part. Any extra financial support for families on fixed and low incomes struggling to make it to the end of the week is a very good thing.

There is problem, however. The Government has left behind middle-income families, who are in dire straits. Any family with a household income of €621 a week will not get a red cent of back to school allowance. A household income of €621 a week is modest. These are families who receive very little support from the State but are now fighting to stay afloat. The Government has left behind these families, who struggle to pay the mortgage or rent and who cannot afford to put fuel in the car to get to work or pay extortionate energy bills. These families' grocery bills are through the roof to such an extent that many have started to cut back on basics. Many of these families have used their savings or maxed out their credit cards trying to keep up, and now they have nowhere left to turn. When the Government had an opportunity to make a big difference, it settled instead for half measures. Middle-income parents went out to work this morning feeling let down again. Many of them have no idea where they will get hundreds of euro to send their children back to school in September. When they ask why they have been left out, what will the Minister's answer be?

Ní mór an liúntas éadaí agus coisbhirt don scoilbhliain nua a mhéadú chuig teaghlaigh atá ar mheánioncaim, atá fágtha ina dhiaidh ag an Rialtas. Ní féidir leo na costais ollmhóra a bhaineann lena bpáistí a thabhairt ar ais chuig an seomra ranga i mí Mheán Fómhair a íoc.

I am always amazed at the ability of this Government to refuse to do those things that patently need to be done and to do them correctly and fully. The Dáil will rise for the summer next week so time is running out for us. I am asking the Minister at this juncture to listen to the Opposition again and do the right thing. I am asking him to expand the back to school payment to cover an additional 500,000 children, whose middle-income parents are in desperate need of support. The Minister holds the purse strings. He can make this happen. This is an existing scheme. We want the Government to expand it. We are appealing to the Government not to pack up for the summer having left these families behind.

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