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costs during a cost-of-living crisis. That is having an effect on people. Hundreds of thousands of people are living in poverty in this country. One quarter of all domestic gas users are in arrears, which equates to 180,000 families. Some 300,000 people … Actually, there was €700 million made in profit last year. Incredibly, during Storm Éowyn, when people were begging the Government for food and trying to get energy infrastructure back up and running to get their houses reconnected, the ESB’s suggestion was that they should

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

going up. There was no help with the cost-of-living crisis in many ways. There were no energy credits, no cap on food price inflation, no grocery supports, no rent freeze or ban on rent increases, the dreaded USC that was brought in for a 12-month … verdict of the respected ESRI and other reputable groups was that household income across the board would be reduced by 2% and that poverty would increase. Those are the unpalatable facts. I think it was a shameful, cynical approach for the Government to buy the election last year

living through a moment of unprecedented crisis, with record levels of households in arrears and skyrocketing numbers of people at risk of energy poverty. Yet, with each passing day things are deteriorating. Across the country, ordinary people are doing everything right. They are working hard, budgeting carefully … seems to arrive. That is not leadership; it is political failure. When people are forced to choose between heating their homes and putting food on the table, the response cannot be half measures and recycled analyses. An emergency requires an emergency response. What we have seen

regrettable that Ireland, one of the richest countries in the world, has seen a significant rise in children living in consistent poverty. According to the Children's Rights Alliance, one in 12 children, or more than 100,000, is in this situation. Obviously, inflation has risen. There … invest more in the likes of breakfast clubs. I welcome the school meals initiative. I have issues with the quality of the food on offer, but that is a separate matter. I want to focus mainly on vulnerable groups like lone parents and people with disabilities. I want

losing these vital supports holds them back. As a result, people with disabilities and their households are at a dangerous risk of poverty. This is simply wrong. These are not the values of equality our Republic is built on. The State should be tearing down these barriers … share with the Dáil the words of one such person who lives with this reality every day. They have to attend a food bank weekly and apart from it being demoralising it is a necessity to survive. The word "saving" does not apply to them as simply, there

impact of the cost-of-living on families is hugely concerning and shameful. It states 12% of families now use a food bank, that 40% of them either skipped or reduced meal portions to ensure their children have enough to eat and that a third of families … information. That is very important. I strongly support Deputy Nash’s amendment to the motion. We have 250,000 children living in poverty in this State. The figure has not reduced in five years and it is shameful. A second tier of child benefit should target this issue

Jesus is not sustainable for workers living on the minimum wage. Their wages are not going up anywhere near as fast as food or energy inflation. In fact, they are running behind just trying frantically to catch up. The Minister of State also confirmed that this Government … those promises and they see them now gone - absolutely gone. One in five workers in this State today is classified as being in poverty. That is nothing to be proud of in a State where there are surpluses that run to billions and pay increases available to very

looking at that. Revenue has a great collection rate. It is either 93% or 97%. How many people are we pushing further into poverty because they cannot pay their bills today? How many are pushing the payment of their bills to a later date? How many are living … money and have total disregard for how those in a household might be feeling hard pressed in the context of putting food on the table or looking after the other bills they have to pay. People are still living in fear that the vulture funds will come

this budget. We already have a situation where people with disabilities are twice as likely to be homeless and to be living in poverty. Gillian Sherratt, the mother of the late Harvey Morrison Sherratt, pointed out on social media that during Covid it was deemed, in the context … worse off. That is before the costs of groceries, electricity and all that are factored in. We know developers, the fast-food industry and the restaurants got huge tax cuts. It should be pointed out again and again that apartments already being built and already with planning permission

With one in five disabled people living in consistent poverty, which is almost four times the national average, and with about two in five experiencing enforced deprivation, this cold and constantly wet winter paints nothing but a picture of cold homes, skipped meals and lives lived in constant … today would provide some immediate relief to those who need it most, the people who are disproportionately affected by high energy bills, food price inflation and housing costs because they spend more time at home and face unavoidable disability-related expenses. If the Government wants to do what

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

then €600 and now, potentially, €400 to people in homes. I have often come in here and lambasted the fact that we monetise poverty and oppression too often in this State. We transfer a huge amount of money to private operators who open up accommodation in office blocks … this payment. We understand the cost of living. People in this country are struggling to pay their ESB bills and to put food on the table. To reduce that fee by another €200 means we are simply expecting people to continue having people from Ukraine living in their

late and nowhere near strong enough. Households are already stretched and we see it not just in energy but across the board: food costs and school costs are up. The costs of getting to work, doing the school run, caring for family and just living in rural Ireland … home. It is not good enough for the Government and the Taoiseach, as Head of Government, to make jokes about these things. Energy poverty and child poverty are growing and people are rationing heat. We have heard some of the stories. Some of us engage with our constituents

cent a litre, and the NORA levy by another 2 cent per litre. On top on that, the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine implemented a comprehensive €100 million fuel income support scheme to assist farmers, agricultural contractors and the fishing sector facing unprecedented increases in fuel … middle-income families. The facts are that this Government has acted time and again to provide for households at risk of fuel poverty, and to ease the burden on all households impacted by the crisis. The upcoming budget will build on the work of budget 2026 to protect

over 60 per cent of total Government expenditure on residential retrofit over the period 2022-2025 was on homes at risk of energy poverty; — following approval at Cabinet last week, the Government has published a National Residential Retrofit Plan and an enhanced set of measures to increase … Protection Commission (CCPC) published an update to its 2023 high-level analysis of the grocery sector in Ireland, this analysis confirms that, while food prices have increased significantly in recent years in Ireland, competition is working effectively in the Irish grocery retail sector, notably, food price increases have

means protecting their rights. We cannot have a successful transition without buy-in from all these workers, including those who produce our food, catch our fish and work and live in urban and rural communities. They must feel secure and supported as things around us change. The just … respect of workers such as mechanics. Just transition also needs to apply to people who are vulnerable or at risk of energy poverty. At present, we are seeing huge problems and vulnerabilities when it comes to energy and pricing. We see many families struggling and energy prices going

date from between 1821 and 1861 and point to decades in Irish life that were cruel, grim, violent and rife with starvation and poverty. More than 2,500 of these proclamations offer rewards for culprits of long-forgotten crimes. Unless those culprits have almost two centuries of living … took place. As you read through the laws being deleted by this Bill, you get a window into the past - a past where food was so precious that breaking eggs amounted to a high crime and where people took a beating with nettles for the sake

motion to the floor of the Dáil. One line from his contribution this morning is at the nub of everything, where he said, "Poverty should never determine potential." That is the key component of this motion. What is happening to many families throughout this country is nothing short … bill or buying a tablet their child must have in order to participate in class. Parents who are already struggling with rising rents, food prices and energy costs are now being told that, without a laptop, their child will fall behind. It is shameful that the State

major works on your house or move out. It is much simpler. Solar represents one of the fastest, simplest ways to reduce energy poverty and improve resilience to energy shocks. However, there are big upfront costs to solar, and it is not affordable to everyone. That … quickly make a difference in people’s homes. Along with highlighting our energy insecurity, this crisis has highlighted growing vulnerability regarding our food security. Our agriculture sector is deeply exposed to global markets, particularly for fertiliser, fuel and animal feed. We saw this following the invasion of Ukraine

welcome ceasefire in Gaza with a sustained programme of humanitarian and reconstruction aid. We will do this through co-operation with the World Food Programme and UNRWA. Protecting and renewing Ireland’s economic strength and standing in the world must, as I have said, also be accompanied … children to get the best start in life, through smaller classes, community development programmes and targeting resources to help families experiencing poverty. We must protect nature and biodiversity and move forward in tackling the existential problem of climate change. In all of this, the Government I will lead

Irish society who have the least. In other words, the Government's VAT cut is a direct wealth transfer to faceless fast food multinationals. It is a whopper, in fact, and a big fat nothing-burger for the rest of us. It is not a spice … children’s charter, the Labour Party developed a pathway for giving every child the best start in life and ending child poverty. That certainly kicked Fine Gael into gear. Nearly every speech the Tánaiste made during the general election was peppered with references to addressing child poverty. That

welcome, this will do little to affect the challenges facing people with disabilities daily such as high levels of unemployment and poverty. There are at least eight programme for Government commitments to address the cost of disability, including introducing a cost-of-disability payment and extending free travel … most benefit to those in big business. Along with a cost-of-disability payment, nearly €1.2 billion was given away to fast-food chains and property developers. This could have increased the income disregard for those on the disability allowance to €250. It could have increased funding

components with a €16 reduction in petrol per fill and a €19 reduction in diesel. Also, looking at the logistics and how food is produced to reduce the cost of groceries on the shelves for consumers, we have done a huge package for agriculture in terms of production … consideration for the budget. We will be looking, through that report, at energy prices in the first instance and second at addressing energy poverty and consumer protections - which are very important - as well as energy affordability. I ask people who are struggling to first of all engage with

people for particularly cruel cuts. We know that, incredibly, the budget made almost everyone worse off. People who do not own big fast food restaurants, who have not developed a bunch of apartments or who are not big landlords have basically been made them worse off. The budget … disability in this country in 2021 was over €10,000. Today, it is around €15,000. While the official at risk of poverty rate is 32.5%, when the cost of disability is added, the risk of poverty increases to between 65% and 76%. We know that