Leo Varadkar (Dublin West, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I will take a moment to pay tribute to Scotland's First Minister Nicola Sturgeon, MSP, who announced her resignation today. I met her many times in Dublin and also in the context of the British-Irish Council. I always found her to be an impressive, competent, articulate and thoughtful politician, a true European and a friend of Ireland. Certainly, she will always be welcome at our table. Táimid fíorbhuíoch de Nicola Sturgeon, Céad-Aire na hAlban. Is polaiteoir cliste, misneach agus láidir í. Bhí sí mar chara na hÉireann agus cara na hEorpa.

Maidir le ceist an Teachta, tá an costas maireachtála an-ard in Éirinn anois agus tá a lán teaghlaigh agus daoine faoi bhrú. Rinne an Rialtas go leor agus cabhróidh an Rialtas sa todhchaí freisin. I acknowledge the fact that many people are suffering as a consequence of the rising cost of living. As the Deputy previously acknowledged, people appreciate that the factors driving it are largely international, including high energy prices, the war in Ukraine and a prolonged period of monetary policy that has now given rise to a high level of inflation.

The Government has taken many actions to date. We will continue to act in the coming months to help people with the cost of living. Unfortunately, it will not be possible to fully compensate people for rising costs. We will do that as best we can for those on the lowest incomes and those who need the most help. However, it will not be possible for us to do it for everyone as, ultimately, anything we do is done with taxpayers' money and has to be recouped from people and businesses in the long run.

It is worth once again putting on the record the 25 interventions the Government has already made to help people with the cost of living. These are: an autumn double payment of weekly social welfare and pension payments; a double payment of child benefit; a €400 fuel allowance lump-sum payment; a €500 working family payment lump-sum payment; €500 for people with disabilities, people who are blind and people on the invalidity pension; a €200 lump-sum payment for people in receipt of the living alone allowance; €500 for carers; a Christmas bonus double payment for pensioners and people on social welfare; in the past few weeks, a €12 a week increase in pension and weekly social welfare payments, which is the largest single increase since the mid-2000s; the largest ever expansion of the fuel allowance scheme, with a particular focus on people over 70; increased income thresholds for the working family payment; the expansion of hot school meals; an increase in the back-to-school clothing and footwear allowance; two fuel allowance lump-sum payments; an energy credit of €200, with another €200 being paid at the moment and a further €200 to come in March; a reduction in student fees; a 25% reduction in childcare costs; a rent tax credit; a reduction in public transport fees; a reduction in the cost of the drugs payment scheme; and reductions in VAT and excise duties.

A lot has been done, but we acknowledge that inflation is still high, that prices continue to rise and that we will need to act again in the coming weeks to help people with the cost of living through the spring and summer. Ministers will meet this week with a view to making a decision at Cabinet next Tuesday on further actions we can take.

Finally, I have not yet had a chance to read the Mandate report but I have seen the summary. The Government is committed to making work pay better and ensuring that efforts are rewarded. There was a 7.8% increase in the national minimum wage only a few weeks ago. We think that will actually exceed the inflation rate for this year, and that will result in a knock-on increase for others on low pay. Statutory sick pay is now a reality, workplace tips and gratuities are now protected, we have had the additional public holiday and we are now moving towards a living wage over the next four years.

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