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data show a welcome reduction in enforced deprivation rates in 2025, including in relation to energy. We continue to monitor the cost-of-living situation carefully. However, given the additional supports provided by the Government as part of budget 2026, which are permanent, not temporary, supports, a cost

would be quicker if the Minister just said, "No". Is he considering additional cost-of-living measures given that people are absolutely battered? I have read out the figures to him that show that a quarter of children are living in poverty and nearly a quarter of workers … just said, "No". I regret that the Minister does not have a better answer for me, to be brutally frank, because the cost of living in this State and the cost for people who are on low incomes, as we know, means they are very heavily exposed

with disabilities. These costs are affecting everyone but this is the most vulnerable population in the State. They were vulnerable before the cost-of-living crisis. They will be vulnerable after the cost-of-living crisis. Importantly, I reject this question of it being a one-off payment

biggest players in the market and is profiteering to the tune of €706 million in the jaws of a cost-of-living crisis. There are 300,000 people currently in energy arrears. The Society of St. Vincent de Paul has said it dealt with a quarter … families. In 2024, the Government took €4.1 billion in fuel taxes, the highest ever in the jaws of a cost-of-living crisis. The cost of filling a car is currently €19 more today than it was five years ago. That is not because of market issues

Healy-Raes, are now in support of it. Therefore, people are paying much higher prices for heat and transport in a cost-of-living crisis. Fianna Fáil, Fine Gael, the Healy-Raes and the Regional Independents did this in the context of energy companies raising their prices despite … That is not fairness. That is failure. I once again call on the Government to do what is needed. It should introduce cost-of-living measures, withdraw the carbon tax increases and adopt Sinn Féin’s proposals to address the fundamental flaws in our energy system so that

inflation is leaving people struggling. I have hundreds of people contacting my office who are struggling with bills and the cost of living. Something we could do to help them, which I have mentioned multiple times, is to decentralise our grid, bring in private wires and bring … that when you reduce energy costs that effect trickles through the entire economy, into transport and everything, and thereby brings down the cost of living. Our future energy systems cannot be tethered to the volatile gas markets and for that to be done we need to increase

hear our energy regulator or regulators, or whoever they are, saying anything and it falls on poor people. The cost of living has gone through the roof in the last six months and it is exploding as we are talking. There is no end to the increase … behalf of the people we were elected to represent here. I appeal again to see whether something can be done because the cost of living is tied to that and the cost of energy and heating. Without thinking of poor people, I come across people on a daily

Government could not find the money to give ordinary workers a break in their income tax. There was no money for a cost-of-living package, no money for an increase in the renter's tax credit, no money to maintain energy credits as electricity bills … money to cover the extra cost of living with a disability. The Government left people with disabilities €1,400 worse off, but it could and did find the money for generous tax breaks for developers, landlords and banks and now we know it found the money to deliver

consumption expenditure will be more than 3%. That does not reveal the type of scenario the Deputy created. We acknowledge there are cost-of-living challenges to people - there clearly are - but we have worked hard, through a range of supports and free schemes that I could list … from free books to hot school meals, that we have introduced to cushion people against the undoubted pressures of cost-of-living increases. In relation to semi-State CEOs, the Deputy knows full well that an independent body got together. There had been few increases in recent times

minor requirements are not met. Compliance and running costs are rising year on year, while family incomes continue to fall behind the cost of living. At the same time, they will be asked under Mercosur to compete with beef imports from countries such as Brazil where production standards … field. Cheaper, lower standard beef will enter the European market and inevitably compete directly with high-quality Irish beef. In today's cost-of-living crisis, consumers will push towards the cheaper option regardless of quality. That threatens farm incomes, rural communities and the reputation of Irish agriculture

Tánaiste's predecessor, Paschal Donohoe, said that there was no need for cost-of-living payments in the budget because “inflation has now returned to normal rates”. He said that inflation would be around 2% this year. That is clearly not the case. We have over 4% food … cold hard Christmas for many people. At this very late stage, I am asking the Tánaiste to bring forward emergency cost-of-living payments

worst. It is a go-slow coalition that cannot even get the basics of governance done. Then there is the cost of living. People are hammered with price increases and rip-off bills but the Government refuses to help. It refused to bring forward a cost-of-living

society. The resources of the top 10% of asset owners and income earners mean they have only heard mere talk of a cost-of-living and housing crisis. It has never visited their door. We have a cohort of people where the idea of a cost-of-living

primary schools was €236 and €400 per student in post-primary schools. That is when we take the capitation and the cost-of-living aspects into account. This year, it is €224 per student at primary level versus €236 last year, while at secondary level … sense that there is a recognition from the Government in this regard. It needs to introduce a cost-of-living package for schools

blister packs to help manage their medication. We are also talking about people with disabilities who are under real pressure with the cost of living. The packs help them make sure they take the right dosage at the right time of day. The Government's decision means … these packs. This is a bad decision for the Government at any time but it made this cruel choice during a cost-of-living crisis when every euro is precious to people. It is like it cannot stop itself from making life harder for people. It hiked

respect of medicine and the cost of medicine, particularly the DPS threshold and other bespoke interventions also. More generally on cost-of-living measures, in the budget we took measures to support families who are on low incomes in particular. The ESRI's evaluation of the budget bears … real wages and incomes, they are growing at approximately 3% per annum this year and we have targeted measures effectively on the cost-of-living side to support those most in need. On phased dispensing, we will certainly look at any situation where there is potential hardship

already, as we speak there are people with disabilities protesting outside the gates of Leinster House because they are struggling with the cost of living. The hard reality is that in the budget the Government took away the supports that these individuals were relying on. People with disabilities … worse off. The Government stripped away the vital supports they depend on to deal with the spiralling cost-of-living crisis. Those are not my numbers but the Irish Wheelchair Association's numbers. The Government shamefully left vulnerable people high and dry. This has caused serious anger, worry

heating versus eating crisis. People with disabilities face impossible choices between warmth and food this winter. Despite acknowledging the extra cost of living with a disability, the Government has failed to act. The removal of one-off payments and the absence of a permanent cost-of-living disability

priority in the budget. It was a budget of €9.4 billion that left them worse off and did not even include a cost-of-living package. The CSO just reported on Monday that prices continue to rise and are rising faster now than in the past two years … drop something off the list. She had to sit them down and explain to those children that even Santa is feeling the cost-of-living crisis this year. Does the Taoiseach in any way understand the pressure that ordinary families the length and breadth of this State

this trend of rising energy costs, rising energy arrears and rising energy poverty, Government refused to include energy credits or a broader cost-of-living package in this year's budget. This decision flies in the face of the Government's national energy affordability task force. Its interim … continue to push these costs up in the months and years ahead. Whether the Minister wishes to acknowledge it or not, a cost-of-living crisis is happening. He needs to wake up to this reality, provide supports in the here and now, help people to get through

payments of an emergency winter energy credit of at least €500. Households, especially those with children, are under huge pressure from the cost-of-living crisis, which is pushing more and more families into poverty. There are already 630,000 people living below the poverty line … arrears on their gas bills, which is also an increase on last year. People with disabilities are particularly badly hit by this cost-of-living crisis, having lost out on about €1,400 in the recent budget. The measure of any society is how it treats its most

coming home. They wonder how they are going to find somewhere to live and how they are going to survive in a cost-of-living crisis when they come home - if they come home. A teacher contacted me just today. Schools in Dublin West have had to cancel … their own. The Government's developer-led policy, which hands hundreds of millions of euro to profitable developers, is sickening in a cost-of-living crisis. Sinn Féin will work with builders to build public houses on public land with public money. That is where the solution lies

last time I asked about this, the Taoiseach claimed the cost of disability would be looked at in the next budget. The cost-of-living crisis is now. The cost-of-disability crisis is now. Some 70,000 people who are disabled or have a long-term illness … living in poverty. That is one in three. I have been inundated with emails from disabled people asking for winter cost-of-living and cost-of-disability payment. Many will be forced to choose between heating and eating this Christmas. They also want a permanent cost-of-disability

appropriate in my view. It would benefit people by up to €746 which would make a real difference, particularly in a cost-of-living crisis as people see prices continue to increase as the Government sits by and does nothing. Indeed, it does worse than that because … need the first €40,000 that people earn to be exempt from USC, providing targeted support for individuals during this cost-of-living crisis. There are many measures, which the Minister will be well familiar with, through which revenue can be generated to fund this proposal. For example

handout dressed up as housing policy. It will do absolutely nothing for ordinary workers and families, who are being crushed by a cost-of-living crisis. The Government is proposing a temporary 9% VAT rate for the supply and construction of apartments. We are told this … backwards to deliver for developers, what is it doing for workers? It is doing absolutely nothing. Workers are being hammered by a cost-of-living crisis. There are skyrocketing rents, soaring childcare costs, record grocery bills and mortgage rates that have gone through the roof under this Government