The Government is facing calls to roll out new cost of living measures to assist households grappling with rising expenses, reports Breaking News.
Mary Lou McDonald, leader of Sinn Féin, criticised Taoiseach Micheál Martin for “sitting on his hands” while people are struggling to cover their everyday costs.
In response, Mr Martin claimed that no other EU government had offered as much support for the cost of living as Ireland has, reports Breaking News.
During Leaders’ Questions in the Dáil on Wednesday, Ms McDonald said that the ongoing surge in prices was “biting hard” for workers.
She said: “Ordinary households are finding it very difficult to keep up with the never ending barrage of rip-off bills, reports Breaking News.
“Yet your Government seems oblivious to this pressure that people are under. You seem content to sit on your hands and do nothing while workers and families barely get by. On the watch of your Government households are hit with soaring costs right across the board,” reports Breaking News.
Ms McDonald cited rising costs across a range of everyday items, along with hikes in insurance premiums and energy bills.
She also pointed to escalating rents, saying the national average had reached €2,000 per month, reports Breaking News.
“That is the nightmare you have created for renters.”
She concluded by reading messages she had received from constituents who shared how they are struggling to cope with the rising cost of living.
The Sinn Féin president said: “Hard working people being fleeced left, right and centre. Many have very little left at the end of the week, forced to decide which bill to pay, which one to leave, forced to cut back on the basics. And a Government proclaiming that it will not act, that it will not help. It is not lost on anyone that at the same time you rule out help for ordinary people, you had no problem whatsoever delivering big pay hikes for your raft of junior and super junior ministers,” reports Breaking News.
She added: “You cannot leave working people and families high and dry, Toaiseach. You must act. Bring forward cost of living support to ease this enormous pressure on households,” reports Breaking News.
Taoiseach Mr Martin responded: “No government across Europe, across the 27 member states of the EU, has provided as much as this Government and the previous government in terms of cost of living supports. Quite exceptional one-off contributions made, quite apart from the other significant provision that we made within the mainstream elements of the budget. Over 7.3 billion euro was made available in temporary expenditure and 9.3 billion in recurring expenditure in supporting household incomes,” reports Breaking News.
He said in recent years the level of inflation had an impact on households and businesses.
The Taoiseach added: “Our agenda and objective in the budget when it comes in the autumn will be to provide within the social protection payment programme and in terms of taxation, to do what we can to alleviate the pressures on people. We have had an exceptional period and the response has been exceptional by any yardstick,” reports Breaking News.
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