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

-----the Deputy raised on the cost-of-living crisis, of course, I acknowledge that many parents and families are struggling with the cost of living. We are acting on this, however. I will give the Deputy 12 ways in which we are acting in the 16 seconds that remain. We increased the national minimum wage and working family payment for low-income working families. We increased social welfare payments. The one-parent family payment is up by €12 per week, for example. Next month, every child will receive €100, including middle-income parents, because some of them are struggling too, and the back-to-school clothing and footwear allowance will be paid at the higher rate. We also reduced college fees, increased the Student Universal Support Ireland, SUSI, grant, reduced the cost of school transport, waived examination fees, introduced cheaper childcare and cheaper public transport, introduced free schoolbooks in all primary schools from September and the expansion of hot school meals. So long as this Government stays in office, we will do more again. The biggest risk is a fundamental change of economic or foreign policy. If we do that then we will go backwards.

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