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

Workers and families are struggling and families are struggling to keep up with sharp increases in grocery costs and households are being fleeced, day in and day out. Food price hikes have hit people's pockets hard and still show no sign of coming down.

Last week, the Government met food retailers and the Taoiseach said the Government would have a very stark message to deliver. In advance of the meeting, the Minister of State, Deputy Richmond, said he was preparing a dossier on price gouging that he was going to confront retailers with. We now hear this did not in fact happen. This meeting was talked up by the Government, but appears to have amounted to nothing. The Government tried to paint up the meeting as a big success but the reality is now clear. The upshot of it all is that nothing has changed for consumers, who continue to face these crippling costs. This was really nothing more than a cosy chat between Government and the retailers for the sake of optics. It was yet another PR exercise to give the impression the Government is doing something on extortionate food prices, when the truth is it is doing nothing at all.

Last week, I and others raised the question of profiteering and price gouging by food retailers with the Taoiseach and he dismissed the idea out of hand. Incredibly, he then went on national television and said there was in fact evidence of profiteering. The place to raise profiteering by food retailers was not in a television interview, but in the meeting with the retailers on Wednesday, face to face. The Government now says that there is price gouging. What is the Government do about it? Will it publish the Minister of State, Deputy Richmond's report? Will it give the report to the Competition and Consumer Protection Commission, CCPC?

Last week, Sinn Féin put forward a substantial plan that would make a big difference by cutting food costs for consumers and the Government accepted there were some good things in our plan. One of the proposals was to get the CCPC to move on price gouging. It is urgent this now happens. The Government cannot sit on its hands while workers and families pick up the bill.

Tá ardú as cuimse imithe ar phraghsanna bia agus tá an Rialtas ag suí timpeall ag déanamh faic. Ní laghdóidh comhrá deas le miondíoltóirí bia na praghsanna. Ní mór don Rialtas idirghabháil dhíreach a dhéanamh le cinntiú go gcuirtear costais a shábháiltear ar aghaidh i bhfoirm praghsanna laghdaithe ag an scipéad airgid.

It is time for the Government to get its act together and deliver for hard-pressed households. The Taoiseach has stated on behalf of the Government that there is evidence of profiteering. What is its plan to tackle it and how will the Competition and Consumer Protection Commission get to grips with price gouging? What other actions will the Government take in the here and now to get food prices down at the till? When will consumers see prices decrease?

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