Fiona O'Loughlin (Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

There is no doubt that one of the greatest challenges facing us is the skyrocketing cost of living. Every single one of us in these Houses is being contacted all the time by constituents who believe the cost of a basic standard of living is becoming more and more difficult to meet. That reality is felt right across the country. I and no doubt the Acting Chairman are hearing it all the time in south Kildare. The cost of living has an impact on the quality of life that somebody has in a material sense and in terms of mental health. The stress on any family from the pressures of paying rent or paying a mortgage while also trying to ensure that the family home is heated and the family has enough food is massive.

A recent poll showed that 72% of people understood that a lot of the increased cost of living is down to the war in Ukraine. There is no doubt that the illegal, brutal and outrageous war waged by a tyrannical dictator has sent global energy prices and inflation rates to completely unsustainable levels which we have not seen in decades. It is having a deeply negative impact on all of us on this island.We certainly need to have a summit to bring stakeholders together to try to create a consensus across society about how best we can cope with these unprecedented economic developments. We need to have a social dialogue and a prioritising of the particular spending that means most to people. We need to develop an inclusive process to look at the causes, consequences and implications of inflation.

The fact is that no government anywhere across the globe can completely insulate its people from the realities of such an inflationary cycle, and no party in these Houses can honestly state that they would be able to do that. It is fair to say that the Government has responded to what is another unprecedented situation. To say otherwise is completely disingenuous. Some €2.4 billion has already been allocated in the context of measures to cushion the impact of the rising cost of living. This is a very significant amount of money. For people to say that the Government has not responded in any way is, as I have said, completely disingenuous.

Should we do more? Yes. Can we do more? Yes, I firmly believe that we can. We need to look at very specific areas at which we can target that funding. Many of us would, for example, have had the opportunity to meet with representatives from the INTO earlier. Ensuring that children have the opportunity to go to school, to be warm and to have the capacity to have a hot meal while there is very important. We still have the voluntary contribution - which we know is not voluntary - in so many schools. The capitation grant should be increased and the voluntary contribution should be scrapped.

The State should be providing both free school books and support in respect of the purchase of school uniforms. Children who grow up in households where there is a toxicity of stress are very negatively impacted. Research has shown that children who live in homes that are affected by anxiety, stress and pressure about finances and the family having enough money to support itself in a sustainable way are greatly affected. We need to be able to put enough supports in place where we can, and that includes in the context of education.

I acknowledge that the Government increased the weekly fuel allowance rate and made an additional lump-sum payment in March, along with a special €100 payment to 370,000 households that receive the fuel allowance. This has been very important. We should be able to do more in this regard.

I also acknowledge that there has been a 20% reduction in public transport fares and a 50% reduction in such fares for young people, which is of great importance too. It is important that we do more in that regard, particularly in places like Kildare. When one gets past Sallins in north Kildare, the cost of travel increases exponentially.

The fuel allowance, which was increased last October's budget, is very important. Sinn Féin's proposal was not to increase the fuel allowance at all in the budget. It is important to put that clearly on the record.

Inflation has increased dramatically all over the world. The difference between some Opposition parties and the Government is that we are doing something concrete and substantial about it.

I want to raise the issue of profiteering. There is no doubt that some operators have engaged in a level of price gouging that is adding to the impact of inflation. I say to those businesses to remember that the State and the taxpayers’ money kept their doors open during the pandemic and to remember who will keep them open in the longer term, namely, the Irish people.