Cian O'Callaghan (Dublin Bay North, Social Democrats)

I join others in welcoming the group from the Shankill Shared Women's Centre. It is great to see them. I welcome also Commissioner McGrath. I join the Tánaiste in saying our thoughts are with all those affected by the devastating fire in Hong Kong.

The cost-of-living crisis may have ended for Fine Gael but for ordinary families it is getting worse day by day. Food, heating, electricity, rents and college fees are all more expensive than they were last year. The CSO found recently that food prices alone are up 4.5% in the past 12 months. People are paying more, getting less and wondering how they will stretch their wages to the end of the week. Everybody outside of the Government can see what is happening. The fact the Tánaiste cannot see it is astonishing, so let me spell it out for him.

Pricewatch compared 25 supermarket staples over three years. In 2022, a basket of everyday items cost €87. The same basket now costs a whopping €135. That is a 55% jump in just three years. The price of bread is up, the price of eggs has increased by 50% and chicken has more than doubled in price. These are not luxuries; they are basics. Ireland now has the second highest prices in the eurozone, 12% above the EU average. Families are being fleeced.

The skyrocketing cost of food is not just visible in euro and percentages. We can see it in the stress and anxiety etched into people's faces when they are at the supermarket till. People are wondering how much further they can stretch their pay packets. What was once the simple routine of the weekly shop has now turned into a painful choice between essentials, between putting food on the table and heating the home. Impossible choices are being faced daily.

The Competition and Consumer Protection Commission, CCPC, and the Central Bank have found that food prices are increasing way beyond the costs of producing food. In other words, price gouging is taking place. Somewhere along the supply chain, someone is pocketing the difference and people are left to carry the burden. We have a food regulator whose job it is to shine a light on this but the Tánaiste's Government has tied its hands. Right now, it can only ask for information. It cannot compel supermarkets or processors to hand over data. Dunnes Stores has already refused to co-operate with the regulator's investigation on the price of eggs, fruit and vegetables. The regulator's chair, Mr. Joe Healy, has pleaded with the Government for stronger powers since last year. He is still waiting. Families are still waiting. We in the Social Democrats are not prepared to wait any longer. My colleague, Deputy Jennifer Whitmore, will be bringing forward a Bill to give the regulator the power it needs. I urge the Government to support this Bill.

Parents are eating less and skipping meals so their children can eat. Pensioners are cutting back on heating and living in fear of the weekly shop. They deserve answers and transparency. Will the Government stop protecting profiteers and start protecting the public? When will the food regulator be given the powers it needs to stop price gouging?

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