Joan Collins (Dublin South Central, Independents 4 Change) | Oireachtas source

I support the motion. We are two weeks away from the 2023 budget and promised measures to alleviate the cost-of-living crisis. Like most responses from this Government I expect it will be too little, and it will certainly be too late. We should have had a mini-budget in the early summer. This is not just a crisis in heating and lighting for people and it is not a crisis confined to the winter months. People have been suffering from the cost of living over the summer months and what is kicking in now is that energy costs will cripple people, as well as the cost of their food shops. It is also a crisis in rent and rising food prices, especially staples, with a 10% increase in inflation in the past year. That means those on starting incomes will get a 10% cut and it will be higher for those on low wages or welfare, who spend one quarter of their incomes just meeting their basic needs. Today we had the announcement of an 80 cent increase in the hourly rate of the minimum wage, bringing it to €11.30. This is well below the median rate, which is probably closer to €14 per hour. It also does not equate to a basic weekly wage, given that large numbers of part-time workers often only work for 15 to 20 hours per week. The trade union movement should be coming out strongly for a €15 per hour minimum wage, linked to a major recruitment campaign, not just to sign up workers but to organise workers in the workplace to fight to end the scandal of low pay.

On the question of energy prices, there are mixed messages coming from the Government, with the Minister saying the Government prefers a credit and Deputy Coveney on the radio this morning not ruling out a cap in prices. The reality is that we need both, as the motion calls for, a cap set at June 2021, alongside targeted measures for those most in need. No one in this Chamber needs a targeted measure, and certainly not one in the order of €600. The price of energy was capped in France, Spain and Portugal and it has benefited the people there. The inflation rate is just below 6% in France compared with ours. It also stops companies from pushing up prices and gouging people because it is easy to see who is doing that. I also support a publicly-owned and not-for-profit energy system, including the nationalisation of all existing energy generation in the State to address the energy and climate crises.

A mass protest took place in Cork on 17 September leading to one in Dublin next Saturday, 24 September. Theses have been organised by the Cost of Living Coalition, which includes a wide range of groups representing pensioners students trade unions left parties and mica protestors. I will be on that protest and I encourage people to come out in their tens of thousands to demand the action that is needed to confront this crisis.

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