Heather Humphreys (Cavan-Monaghan, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

Just over two years ago, Fine Gael, Fianna Fáil and the Green Party formed a Government. It was not easy, but we did it for one overriding reason. We believe that people enter politics to improve people’s lives. Putting people first was our number one interest during the Covid-19 crisis. The priority of this Government now is to protect families against the unprecedented increase in the cost of living.

This evening, once again, Sinn Féin is playing politics. The Sinn Féin motion is an absolute waste of time and pure nonsense. What does one expect from an Opposition party that just two years ago ran to the hills at the very thought of going into government? When duty and responsibility called, Sinn Féin hid in the bunkers.

For a while, Sinn Féin Deputies thought they were Donald Trump. They were going around the country telling people they should be in power instead of sitting down and trying to form a government. They are great at telling everyone how to spend money but they are not so good at telling us where to find it. Their policies would bankrupt this country and plunge it into recession. We create employment; they would create unemployment. To hear Sinn Féin Deputies talking about the squeezed middle, well, I have heard it all. The truth is that if Sinn Féin was in government, it would not be worth anyone's while doing a day's work because it would tax them to the hilt.

This Government increased the back-to-school allowance to support low-income families with a grant of €260 and €385 to help families pay for school uniforms and shoes. What is Sinn Féin doing in Northern Ireland? It announced a €7 increase in school uniform allowance, bringing it to the grand total of £42.

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