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last while. He said this had enabled some firms to increase their profit margins. Two years on from the start of the cost-of-living crisis, the price of the every day goods on which we all rely and the services on which we depend are still high … cards and we are still living with the very real consequences of that period for working families across this country. The cost-of-living crisis has not gone. It was elevated in 2023 but there is a permanent cost-of-living crisis across this country, especially for those

commend my colleague, Deputy Ged Nash, on bringing forward this important Bill. We are all aware of the spike in the cost of living. In four years, the cost of a basket of groceries has risen by more than 35%. This is having a huge impact on families … noticing shrinkflation - the charging of the same prices but with less product. Households across Ireland are having to cope with this cost-of-living crisis - a spike in the cost of living that is affecting every household, individual, family and community. Almost one third of households comprising

most. Although the Government would like to pretend otherwise, the tariff uncertainty is happening as working people are dealing with an unprecedented cost-of-living crisis. Households are hit by soaring grocery prices and energy costs and record rents, and we saw yesterday how motorists are being fleeced … more expensive for those families to heat their homes and cook their food. It is madness in the context of a cost-of-living crisis. Ordinary people are already struggling and cannot afford a tit-for-tat tariff war. With all the pressure on households, what the Government

paid sick leave. This delay worsens financial and health hardships for workers and families. When we are in the middle of a cost-of-living crisis, I absolutely do not see it as a contest between employers and workers. The greatest asset of any business is its workers … workers we are seeking to protect here and other workers, it is vital to recognise that they are living in a real cost-of-living crisis. The cost of living extends to people trying to be able to afford their groceries and trying to pay their energy bills

billion. At the same time, the Government tells workers and families they are on their own and there will be no cost-of-living package in this year's budget. Does the Government simply not get it or is it ignoring the plight of ordinary people … under serious pressure due to the cost of living? We have double digit rent increases. We have the highest electricity prices in Europe. The cost of insurance is going through the roof - up 9%. The cost of groceries is going up. The cost of petrol and diesel will

introduce new legislation. This Bill is not just about sustainability; it also aims to enhance consumer protection and reduce the cost of living. I hope the Government will allow it a swift passage through the House. I hope the Government sees the extreme pressure that people are under … that this encourages the Government to introduce important measures to reduce costs for households in the current cost-of-living crisis. This Bill creates a repairability index for common consumer goods such as laptops, washing machines and lawnmowers. It allows consumers to understand the ease with which

cost of living continues to bite hard on working people. Ordinary households are finding it very difficult to keep up with the never-ending barrage of rip-off bills, yet the Government seems oblivious to the pressure people are under. It seems content to sit on its hands … Tánaiste, the Minister for Finance, the Minister for Public Expenditure, National Development Plan Delivery and Reform had all ruled out a specific cost-of-living package in advance of the budget. This position was repeated by one of his Fianna Fáil colleagues on the radio yesterday. Hardworking people

member states of the EU has provided as much as this Government and the previous one did in terms of cost-of-living supports. Quite exceptional once-off contributions were made, quite apart from the other significant provision we made within the mainstream elements of the budget. Over … shock did have a significant impact on households, people and SMEs, so significant fiscal support was provided by the Government in specific cost-of-living measures that were temporary but also in taxation reductions in the past budget that will take effect this year, as well as other

having a disability. As part of last year's budget, significant supports for people with disabilities were introduced, including: an October 2024 cost-of-living bonus for people in receipt of a long-term weekly social welfare payment; a €400 cost-of-living lump sum payment for people … receipt of disability allowance, invalidity pension or blind pension in November 2024; a €200 cost-of-living lump sum payment to people who are getting a living alone allowance in November 2024; and a €12 increase in the maximum personal rate of weekly disability payments from January

reason I say we cannot do the one off measures we have done in the past again is that while the cost of living is still high, the rate of inflation we have seen that justified us doing those packages has fallen dramatically. When we brought … various large cost-of-living measures, it was done in anticipation they would be one-off. That turned out not to be the case but what has turned out to be the case is that inflation has fallen. We were in a situation where inflation was well

supporting mostly women, children and older people who have fled their home country because of the Russian war of invasion. The cost of living is not coming down in this country. It is the opposite; costs are going up. Electricity, grocery prices, insurance - you name it, the costs … rising. The cut will impact host families and change the basic economics for them. There will not be a once-off cost-of-living package in this year's budget, thereby piling further pressure on families. The Government is taking a huge risk by cutting this payment

bill was €460 and a bottle of shampoo that used to cost €4.50 is now €9. Yes, inflation has tamed but the cost-of-living crisis has not gone away. For the life of me, I cannot understand why the Taoiseach cannot accept people's experiences as bona … These are working families who are struggling and yet the Taoiseach is telling them "No". They cannot wait until October. We need cost-of-living supports and we need them with urgency

reduction in student fees the Minister is at pains to stress it was a temporary measure in response to the cost-of-living crisis. It is no surprise his party refrained from any such caveat while lauding it in its pre-election manifesto. His Government colleagues in Fine … promised to abolish fees, and we know what promises from the Tánaiste are worth. Families and students continue to live with the cost-of-living crisis, and as the Government refers to when delaying measures that benefit ordinary people, there is compounding economic turbulence. Pre-election promises from

exceeding it effectively. In other words, the extra money people are getting in wages is now outstripping any increases in the cost of living. It is wrong to say the Dáil voted for this. The Dáil allowed a timed amendment for a Bill to progress on Second Stage … course, we will continue to keep these issues under review. There are many ways we are helping young people with their own cost of living, with their educational opportunities, with the reduction in college fees and the like. We want to continue on that positive trajectory

many more stand in solidarity and are heard at the highest levels. As we face modern challenges like job insecurity and the cost-of-living crisis, this partnership is more important than ever because when working people stand together in the workplace and in Dáil Éireann … dignity are worthless. It deepens inequality, especially for those trying to find education, support families or gain independence. With the rising cost of living, these lower wages are not just unfair, they are unsustainable. Young people are the future of the Irish workforce. Instead of exploiting them

Minister outline the surplus the State will run in 2025? That is in the context of the Government ruling out a cost-of-living package in the budget. We have heard this from the Minister and the Taoiseach. It is a reflection of a Government that

billion each year and the Government is leaving people high and dry because they need support at this time and a cost-of-living package is absolutely necessary

goods are supplied across the world after the pandemic. I accept there are issues that definitely contribute to the cost of living and that develop within our own economy. However, I make the case that if we accept that corporate tax receipts are absolutely at risk, because

Finance, in the context of recording surpluses in excess of €17 billion this year and next year, that there would be a cost-of-living package, not to spend €17 billion on it but to recognise people have been short-changed by the Government and to recognise there

various one off measures brought in on budget day did make a difference to people at a time during which the cost of living was so high and inflation was going up. In regard to the carbon tax the Deputy referred to, it is also the case that

During the election last November, the Government claimed it was going to cut energy costs to bring relief to households in a cost-of-living crisis. Instead, it is going to rip away supports. The Minister himself said that energy payments could not become the norm. Does

solid fuels. We all represent people in homes that are struggling with the higher cost of energy and who know the cost of living is high. We understand that as well

during the course of the Government's term, setting out clearly what that will mean for families and workers facing a cost-of-living crisis

public bus. This is only one example, but there are many. The free school bus tickets were introduced recently as a cost-of-living measure due to the downturn in the economy. They were hugely appreciated but they had many knock-on effects that were not anticipated with

bills and other costs. At every door you go to and with every person you talk to, there is reference to the cost of living. It has not gone away. It is a very serious issue for people day in and day out who are trying to make

asked the Minister for Finance if his Department has analysed the need to increase the guide dog allowance to keep pace with cost-of-living increases; and when this allowance was last increased.; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [27781/25

Reform if he will examine the need for a pay rise in the public sector to take account of the increased cost of living in recent years; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [27866/25

measures being considered to ensure such companies bring their rates in line with the broader market, particularly in light of the ongoing cost-of-living crisis; if he will confirm whether he is considering regulation or policy action to protect mortgage holders, particularly working families, from disproportionate

which are filed and paid in full no more than a few days late, when businesses are already struggling with the high cost of living and there is no loss to Revenue; the reason this is being allowed; and if he will make a statement on the matter

will consider reforming the State’s equivalence scales or poverty metrics to incorporate a disability-related weighting to reflect the higher cost of living associated with disability; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [24808/25

review whether current core social welfare rates are meeting people’s basic needs, particularly in areas like Dublin Bay north where the cost of living continues to rise and many families are struggling with rent, energy bills, and food costs; to consider targeted increases for those