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What does this Government decide to do to distract people this week? It says we should discuss nuclear power. If anything highlights the poverty of the Government's ambition in this area, it is that. It is an utterly brainless idea when states like Germany, Italy and Lithuania … their hardship fund. That shows an absolute poverty of ambition and absolutely no ideas. PrepayPower Energy announced last week that electricity prices are going to rise by nearly 10%. We know the other companies are going to follow. We know food prices are increasing week on week

measly increase in last year's budget did not even keep up with food inflation. You can draw a straight line from that to the fact that the number of older people living in poverty has doubled under the Government's watch. These are our older people

difficult for people to come to the gates of Leinster House to tell strangers that they are rationing fuel or struggling to put food on the table, and to feel that they have to say it. That is a great shame on one of the richest countries … very much ignores the lived reality. The amendment the Government has brought forward is extremely long. It does not once mention the words "poverty" or "deprivation". It ignores that lived reality. When the SILC data is published annually, I always look at enforced deprivation because they

enforced deprivation. Think about that. That is nearly four in ten people, yet the Government’s amendment does not even mention deprivation or poverty. By refusing to name these realities, it is enforcing what so many disabled people already feel, that is, that they are not listened … matter. They do matter, however, and the lived realities behind these statistics are stark. People with disabilities are reporting having to visit food banks. Families are forced into impossible choices between whether to run essential life-saving equipment, keep the heating on or eat. It is always about

adult life working with adults with disabilities, I witnessed the pressures they face. It is not just about heating a home or buying food. It is about the endless hidden costs that the vast majority of people never see. It is about those extra expenses able-bodied people … restricted they are, even with transport options. It all adds up to constant, grinding reality. There is a heightened risk of poverty for those living with a disability in this country. Tonight we stand here again speaking on the hidden cost of disability, just

highest in Europe, punishing rental or interest rates, inaccessible childcare miles away that costs a second mortgage and the cost of goods and food, groceries and other everyday items surpassing the rate of wage growth. The core truth of the cost-of-living crisis is that for many … illegal war on Iran and the energy crisis it has brought about but the Government spent months and years not reacting, making poverty rates climb, according to the Parliamentary Budget Office and the CSO, allowing price-gouging to go unchecked and incentivising rents and mortgage interest rates

amount of deadweight, while Bord Bia consumer spending in food services data shows that 60 per cent of the benefit goes to fast food outlets and hotels; — sectoral fuel supports and cuts to Excise Duty have been introduced by the Government, which includes changes to the Diesel Rebate … warm their home, and nearly half a million households are in arrears on their energy bills; — those most at risk of energy poverty, and reliant on fossil fuels, will continue to be hit hardest by further increases in energy prices; — Ireland has the highest energy prices in Europe

increases affect the lowest income households the hardest at a time when one in seven children lives in households that are below the poverty line, with over 264,000 children living in households experiencing deprivation. I repeat that there are 264,000 children in this country experiencing deprivation … nominal. How are you supposed to absorb additional household fees if you are already struggling to heat your home or put food on the table for your children? The cost of groceries in this country has skyrocketed in the past five years. The price of chicken breast

with a disability are entitled to an adequate standard of living, like the rest of us. That standard includes safe, accessible housing, nutritious food, quality healthcare, rehabilitation services, education and access to meaningful employment opportunities. Yet, this Government took the entitlements from them in last year's budget … Protection noted that 44.7% of people unable to work due to a disability experienced deprivation and 27% of them were at risk of poverty. What amazes me is that we know this and this was known to the Government, prior to last year's budget

payment for persons with disabilities. This extraordinary delay has left disabled persons with a totally inadequate standard of living. The at-risk-of-poverty rate for persons with disabilities is 24%, more than two and half times the rate for the rest of the population. As the Minister … arrears on their electricity bills and the 185,000 families who are in arrears on their gas bills. The cost of food has spiralled out of control in recent years. Over the past five years, milk is up 43%, butter is up 42%, cheese is up 28%, diced

will remain at the lowest possible level of 9 per cent to the end of 2030, to mitigate costs and address energy poverty; — the Government increased the maximum repayment allowable under the Diesel Rebate Scheme from 7.5 cent up to 12 cent per litre of diesel, which will … months from March to May 2026, providing a flat-rate payment based on the number of vehicles operated. This is helping to keep food on our shelves and preventing further increases on the cost of doing a weekly shop, ensuring that children can continue to go to school