Garret Ahearn (Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

The Minister is very welcome. I will put this in a way that the people who are in the squeezed middle have been described to me recently, namely, those who feel that they have to pay for everything and have nothing left. They have their monthly income. They then have their mortgage and childcare - which amounts to a second mortgage - to pay for. As a result of what has happened in the past six months, they have the equivalent of a third mortgage to pay as a result of the increase in the cost of living. This is not sustainable for the people I know in Tipperary. They cannot manage, have no money left at the end of the month and they need support. We have done this so far, and we need to do more in the next budget.

I agree with the proposals that have been put forward on what needs to be done to tackle the cost of living and the price of fuel. The latter is a significant issue for Tipperary. Most importantly, and I know this as the father of a young child, childcare is a matter that can be tackled. We can have a real impact on people's expenditure every month by taking action in respect of childcare. The Minister is committed to making real and positive changes. She is in Cabinet to make changes in respect of childcare. This will impact all of those families with children who are working night and day just to repay their mortgages and pay for childcare and for diesel just to get to work.This is not a situation that people want to be in. They need the support to which I refer, and they need it as quickly as possible.