Johnny Guirke (Meath West, Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

We need to see action from this Government as soon as possible on the cost of fuel and the cost of living. Sinn Féin has constantly raised this issue here in the Dáil. All this Government is doing is driving people into poverty. Does the Government actually realise what people are going through during this cost-of-living crisis? The rising cost of fuel is not an isolated issue; it is part of a broader cost-of-living crisis that is sweeping across Ireland. The cost of rent, housing, food, utilities and other essentials is continually on the rise. The cumulative effect of these increases is putting immense pressure on families across the country. I will talk about one of my constituents who contacted me a couple of weeks ago because she was refused the school uniform allowance for her child after being means-tested. She is on invalidity pension and her husband's wage puts them over the threshold. They are living hand-to-mouth, yet the cost of rent was not taken into account, along with electricity costs, food costs and fuel costs to keep their car on the road. They could not figure out where to get the money to purchase the child's uniform. Around the time of being means-tested, their account had 87 cents in it until the husband's next pay day. The husband is paid monthly and after all their bills are paid, the standard amount they are left with in their account is 87 cents. As we head into winter, people are going to have to start putting oil in their tanks again to heat their homes. That is another bill for people already under huge financial pressure. Older people are afraid to turn on the heat because of the cost. They are going around the house with a coat and a scarf on, or going to bed in the middle of the day to keep warm. It is definitely not the way to be treating our older people. At the same time, this Government plans to increase the price of petrol and diesel twice in October. Ordinary workers and families cannot afford these hikes in the middle of a cost-of-living crisis. These prices increases, if they go ahead, will add hundreds of euro to average annual fuel costs. That is why the Government must reverse the planned increases. Does the Minister of State really know what is going on in the world and how people are struggling?

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