Niamh Smyth (Cavan-Monaghan, Fianna Fail)
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422. To ask the Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform if additional supports will be introduced to support families most impacted by the increases in the cost of living; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [29554/22]

Michael McGrath (Cork South Central, Fianna Fail)
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Budget 2022 set out a €1.2 billion package of expenditure measures to support citizens across a range of sectors with cost of living pressures. Some headline measures include increases in social protection payments, Fuel Allowance and Working Family Payment; health affordability measures; social and affordable housing funding, and enhanced student and childcare supports. Budget 2022 also contained an income tax package of just over half a billion euro.

Since December 2021, over half a billion euro of additional expenditure measures have been put in place to support citizens and businesses with increased costs. A number of these measures build on supports put in place in Budget 2022. A summary of the main measures is as follows:

- An Energy Credit payment automatically applied to the electricity bill of all domestic account holders to assist with rising energy costs.

- In addition to the €5 per week increase in Fuel Allowance payments introduced in Budget 2022, a further two lump sum payments totalling €225, paid in March and in mid-May, will benefit over 370,000 households.

- Budget 2022 announced an increase of €10 in the weekly income threshold for the Working Family Payment. The implementation of this increase was brought forward from April to June.

- A further reduction from €100 to €80 in the monthly payment threshold for the Drugs Payment Scheme. This will reduce medicines and drugs costs for over 70,000 recipients.

- A temporary 20% reduction in Public Service Obligation Public Transport fares until the end of 2022 to reduce the financial burden on commuters returning to the workplace.

- The maximum annual School Transport charge was reduced to €150 per family at primary level and €500 per family at post-primary level for the next academic year.

- A temporary and targeted emergency grant scheme for licensed hauliers provides a payment of €100 per week for licensed heavy goods vehicle for a period of eight weeks. This scheme reflects the vital role that hauliers play in the supply.

To provide further support towards mitigating fuel cost increases, the Department of Finance have introduced temporary reductions in the excise duties charged on petrol, diesel and marked gas oil and have reduced the rate of VAT on the supply of gas and electricity.

Together, these measures provide substantial assistance towards mitigating the impact of rising prices. Overall, the Government has sought to implement measures which strike a balance between delivering targeted support, capable of timely implementation and are temporary in nature to ensure that our public finances remain on sustainable trajectory and avoid actions that could result in further inflation.

Over the coming weeks, I will engage with my colleague the Minister for Finance in preparation for the Summer Economic Statement. This will outline the broad economic and fiscal parameters for Budget 2023.