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Minister has ahead of him, but this matter needs to be dealt with urgently. The winter months are coming. Inflation and the cost of living are all there for people with disabilities, and it is being felt on the ground

affected workers, subcontractors and their families. The timing of this decision could not have been worse. Families are already struggling with the cost-of-living crisis and many now face the real fear of losing their income in the run-up to Christmas. I recently met the affected

year career researchers are on fixed-term, insecure contracts. PhD researchers are trying to survive on stipends that do not meet the cost of living, especially in major cities such as Cork, Dublin and Galway. Universities are being asked to do more with less while navigating financial instability

credit, that is effective. In terms of supports for students and families, there was a €500 real cut this year. The cost of living measure was just a two-year provision right across the board, but we have embedded €500 of that cut to the student contribution

disabled people. It is shocking in one of the richest countries in the world, with a budget surplus and with the cost-of-living crisis ongoing, that the Government made disabled people poor. That is not just in real inflationary terms but even in nominal terms

took over €1,000 from them. Will it recognise this as a major mistake? Will it bring back an emergency lump sum cost-of-living payment for disabled people before Christmas

Minister's response in this regard is that this is a new scheme and the matter is still under review. The cost-of-living figures are there. We are aware of the increase in grocery prices. As I was coming here this morning, I heard a discussion

social welfare, and something which has already been covered by some of my colleagues, is the cost of disability. We have a cost-of-living crisis. People are struggling to pay their bills, especially those most vulnerable such as people with disabilities and carers and, once again

measure that we examine and look at has to be seen in the context of what is a very real cost-of-living crisis for workers and for families. It is absolutely staggering that we had a Government that spent so-called billions of euro in the budget

Budget 2026 left many people disappointed, upset and angry. In the midst of a cost-of-living crisis, which is continuing unabated, the Government has chosen to utterly abandon the most vulnerable in society. The meagre increase of €10 to the disability payment will see people with only

doing is on the tax base; it is doing nothing for employees, employers or consumers. All it is doing is increasing the cost of living

scheme is obviously designed to assist those people but many of them are living pay cheque to pay cheque in the current cost-of-living crisis. I hope those individuals do not opt out of the scheme. In these times every euro is so valuable. What assessment

term, Fianna Fáil and Fine Gael TDs voted to increase carbon tax by €15. Again, this was a Government choice. During a cost-of-living crisis, Government policy has actively driven the cost of petrol and diesel through the roof. As has been said, the cost

ordinary workers, families and small businesses who simply have no alternative. Fianna Fáil and Fine Gael have overseen an Ireland where the cost of living is spiralling out of control. Motorists are paying some of the highest petrol and diesel prices in the EU. Car insurance costs

there is nothing they can do. Like so many of Fianna Fáil's and Fine Gael's policies, they are fuelling the cost-of-living crisis because there are solutions at their fingertips, but they are choosing to ignore them. At a time when Irish motorists

order to bump up the profits of operators. People have better things to do with their money in the middle of a cost-of-living crisis than handing it over to some private investment vehicle. The motion also points to the fact that paying motor tax in instalments

weight of taxes and charges this Government keeps piling on. Independent Ireland has said from the start that the cost-of-living crisis did not fall from the sky but is being driven by Government decisions on taxation, overspending and waste. We support this motion because it recognises

against the increasing impact of climate change. There is no doubt but that people and businesses face challenges in regard to the cost of living. However, in the absence of toll revenue it would be necessary to meet the resulting shortfall through Exchequer funding. This ultimately would come

cost of living is having a huge impact on workers and families. Every week, people are struggling to pay their bills, food, heating, childcare, fuel - the list goes on. In a recent budget, families were looking to the Government for a helping hand, but they got absolutely nothing … result of the Government's budget. Families are now facing into Christmas in despair and drivers are being targeted with rocketing costs. People living in my constituency in Fingal East are getting a double hit because they do not have a sustainable public transport system. They are forced

members of the Defence Forces, due to their difficulty in making ends meet or the pressures they are under due to the cost of living crisis, see more attractive pay and conditions in industries such as pharmaceuticals, medtech and other areas. In terms of the retention of officers

serve on our juries. The absence of such a payment impacts on people who are, in many cases, already struggling with cost of living, as well as those with caring responsibilities and the self-employed. I have raised this previously with the Minister. He has pointed out that

resourced. Where are they meant to come up with this money? There is no uplift for these projects to cover the rising cost of living, so it certainly looks like a cut in core funding because extra costs are being put on them without extra resources being provided

increase in costs in the first year? Second, I asked about an additional ongoing funding uplift for the projects to cover the cost of living. Third, I asked about DRIVE, an important national project which was being rolled out across the country but appears to have disappeared

provided for that. That is a cut in real terms. There is no ongoing core increase in funding to address the cost of living or the issue of inflation. That is a cut in a real sense. There was the presentation of the important DRIVE project. Earlier

many more Irish people across the world who would like to return but they see the housing crisis and the ever-rising cost of living as barriers. We must do more to encourage and help them to come home. We in Ireland are a very welcoming and open