Dara Calleary (Mayo, Fianna Fail)
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104. To ask the Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform the amount that he has sanctioned in expenditure measures to ease cost of living pressures since and including Budget 2022; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [29749/22]

Michael McGrath (Cork South Central, Fianna Fail)
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Budget 2022 included a number of measures to support citizens with increased costs of living. These measures amounted to over €1 billion and covered a wide range of areas, including income supports, supports for healthcare, energy, housing, families with children and education.

The economic context has become more challenging in recent months with the conflict in Ukraine compounding supply chain issues. The Government is acutely aware of the pressures facing households, in particular relating to energy bills and especially for those on lower incomes.

In recognition of these prices pressures, a further set of measures was announced in February at a cost of over half a billion euro. This was targeted at providing timely, temporary support to mitigate the impact of increasing cost of living, including:

- 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 licenced heavy goods vehicle for a period of eight weeks.

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.

While the Government cannot absorb the full spectrum of the inflationary shock, we have taken action to provide substantial assistance towards mitigating the impact of rising prices. We have 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.

I am currently engaged in preparations for the Summer Economic Statement with my colleague the Minister for Finance. This publication will set out the fiscal parameters for Budget 2023 taking account of the challenging economic context. In determining this strategy, I will aim to strike a balance between delivering continued investment in public services, continuing the support for cost-of-living challenges and achieving our fiscal targets.