Mattie McGrath (Tipperary, Independent) | Oireachtas source

The cost-of-living crisis is spiralling. Independent surveys have put the rate at 16% over the past three months. We are only 20 days from the end of February, as the Taoiseach knows, and many of the supports are to run out. Therefore, we need a debate in this House. The members of the Cabinet seem to be all over the place and there are mixed messages, with the Green Party not wanting to continue with the supports for fuel. Eighty-eight percent of fuel in this country is fossil fuel. Let us face it and be honest. The cost of living, including the cost of groceries, must be borne in mind, as must the tourism sector. People need certainty above anything else. While the Government dithers and squabbles, people are suffering. Their mental health is suffering and they are going to food banks. That is the reality on the ground. People need to know whether the supports will continue beyond the end of February, the shortest month of the year, and they need certainty.

See this speech in context