Thomas Gould (Cork North-Central, Sinn Fein)

The Government has done the same with electricity and gas. It lets private sector companies come in and do whatever they want in this country. Not only that, but Europe has allowed the same thing. We have the highest prices for food, insurance, electricity and everything else. Fine Gael has been in government for 14 years and Fianna Fáil has been in government for ten. It was they who allowed this continue. What have they done to stop it?

We are trying to bring forward solutions. I can fight with the Minister of State all day long. I will stand up here for 24 hours and fight with him. There is no better man to do it. We are coming in here to try to fix problems because there are people watching this tonight who are asking what we are doing. We are the Dáil. We are the Teachtaí Dála. We are supposed to bring forward solutions for ordinary families. I spoke to a person over the weekend who told me she is terrified of Christmas. How is she going to put that together for three children - two girls and a boy? I was at the boy's match the other day. She is worried about Christmas. People were worried when the kids went back to school, they are worried about Christmas and they are worried about birthdays. At the same time, they are worried about how they are going to pay their car insurance. A great number of people in the areas I represent have dropped house insurance because they cannot afford it.

I will leave the Minister of State with this. I know a girl who applied for Cork City Council housing. She was being interviewed to get a house. Does the Minister of State know why she was refused a house? It was because she drove a car without tax or insurance. She did not have the money for them. Not alone could she not pay for them, but she got no house as a result. That is how desperate people are.

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