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through the indexation of tax bands, again as the Labour Party has sought. We need to see a cap on the cost of childcare, set at €200 a month. We need to see real, tangible measures that would give working families real breathing space and real certainty … hearing from people around Ireland. He knows this. They cannot afford to cover the basics. They are facing high rents, high bills, high childcare costs and inadequate public transport, and he expects them to be grateful for another untargeted subsidy for fossil fuels that may barely keep pace

means paying for uniforms, shoes, devices, transport, college fees and so-called voluntary contributions. That is on top of already extortionate rents, mortgages, childcare, groceries and energy bills. Yes, extending the fuel supports will help but it will not help enough. The most frustrating thing is that this

Wonderland stuff. The cost-of-living crisis goes far beyond the price at the pump. The ever-increasing cost of housing, groceries, childcare and electricity has made paying for the basics a nightmare in this country. A constituent recently contacted me to share her struggles, a story that

Government underestimated the scale of this crisis. It is completely out of touch. We have the highest electricity costs, third level fees, childcare costs and very likely the highest healthcare costs in the EU as well. Most GPs have put their prices up to €70 over the summer

months. There is a cost-of-living crisis. We need to support families, workers, farmers, businesses and hauliers when it comes to childcare, the back-to-school supports we have already introduced, and targeted energy and fuel bills. This should be done not just by supporting subsidies