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estimated that people with disabilities will be €1,614 worse off annually because of this year’s budget, pushing those individuals into poverty. It is highly cynical that the Government blatantly buys an election and then the following year drops all of those individuals on which it showered … massive amount. As I said yesterday, having derelict homes in the middle of a housing crisis is the same as exporting food in the middle of a famine. It is absolutely wrong. In its derelict homes plan, the Government is looking to create a new system and maybe

reality. We have responded in a substantial, targeted and sustainable way - not just a global sum of €750 million but in terms of food production, road haulage and a reduction in excise duties, which benefits everybody. We will continue to keep a focus on this. In terms … very clear that housing remains our ultimate priority. Infrastructure is key to everybody in the country. That is clear. Disability and child poverty are other issues. These are areas on which we have focused very strongly and are in a position to target. The Deputy does

Ireland’s enterprise base and support job creation, regional development, innovation, tourism and long-term competitiveness. We reduced the VAT rate for food, catering and hairdressers from 13.5% to 9% with effect from 1 July 2026. We increased the research and development tax credit from … special education, benefiting approximately 250,000 children in the school system who present with a special educational need. In terms of child poverty and well-being, in the budget we made significant provisions including a €320 million package for children featuring the largest increase ever in the child

price of petrol and diesel. What does it say to the people who are fleeced week in, week out in their food shopping? If you were to read this budget, you would swear the Government believes that is not happening. It has very little to say to them … after nearly 15 years of Fine Gael in power. Is it any wonder that one in five children now lives in poverty in this State? Is it any wonder that more than 5,000 children are homeless under Fianna Fáil and Fine Gael? You only have to look

last budget, which was a giveaway budget for the developers, a giveaway budget for Google and a giveaway budget for the fast food giants but it took money out of the pockets of ordinary people and targeted disabled people, in particular, with swingeing, mean cuts of over … kids can eat. This is incredible in one of the richest countries in the world in 2026. Over 40% of renters are in poverty or are at risk of poverty and over 300,000 people are in energy arrears. How does all of that translate into people

single cent allocated to reducing the price of home heating oil which has surged by over 80% in the past year. Energy poverty exists because of the Government's political decisions, not because we do not have enough money to put an end to it. It exists because … neutrality. To think that today we are talking about not having the money to support working people who are unable to put food on the table and who are unable to meet the electricity bills they have - people who are thinking about whether they have the finance

they are under and the financial strain that is making their world shrink. Thousands of carers are saying they are cutting back on food and heat to make ends meet while at the same time they are paying out for crucial equipment such as wheelchairs for their loved … exporter of wind energy but we are nowhere near it because of this Government's failures. We see too the issues with pensioner poverty. Incredible and stark figures have been released by the Central Statistics Office, CSO, showing that the consistent poverty rate for those over

benefit from Ireland's renewable energy transition and will continue to explore how best to integrate solar and other technologies into our energy poverty retrofit programmes; — in the long run, the best way to protect Ireland from the impact of international fossil fuel prices is to reduce … Deputy Cairns spoke about. That has also been announced and will be deployed to give real cash payments to assist productive sectors, particularly food production, but also in the supply chain that are critically important to that. They are on top of additional measures that were taken, such

weapon to use to ensure greater transparency for primary producers - the farmers, producers, processors and so on that we rely on to purchase food. It will be another important piece of the jigsaw for consumers to figure out who is gouging whom and what the problem … with the sole intention of ensuring that Irish workers would ultimately enjoy a living wage. We have a real problem with in-work poverty, and that problem remains. While we are closer now to achieving a living wage than we were, we are very tardy about

welfare over domestic violence, just as he prioritised VAT cuts for developers, the burger barons and the hoteliers, over people who are in poverty. The Minister made those decisions. To try to heckle my colleague over that decision is the real politics of the lowest kind. Fine Gael … benefitted more from the budget than ordinary families have. Regarding the hikes in the price of groceries, people are struggling to pay for food but the Government will not push for transparency on the profit gouging that is going on in food and energy prices. The Government voted

that delivers equality and fairness for all those who need it. Instead, the Government gave €1.2 billion in VAT rate cuts for fast-food chains, large ones at that, and tax cuts for big property developers. They put the needs of McDonald's before working families … targeted second tier payment should have also been a priority for this budget. The number of children in Ireland living in consistent poverty nearly doubled in 2024 to 8.5%, rising by over 45,000 children in one year to over 104,000. ESRI research published in September also

What today’s budget tells us is that this Government has no sense of direction. The untargeted VAT cut will benefit the biggest food businesses but is delayed for the small cafés that need it. There is no movement on the big commitments Fianna Fáil and Fine Gael … businesses could have almost entirely paid for that second tier of child benefit, which would raise 40,000 children out of poverty. The abolition of the means test for carers, which was a solemn pledge made by both Government parties during the general election, has been kicked down

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

does not care. After housing costs, one in five people was at risk of poverty or lived in relative poverty last year, with over 300,000 people in arrears on and unable to afford to pay their electricity bills. That was before the coming increases hit. The most … there is a lesson from the protests which is that unless you can cause significant destructive action, if you are not a fast-food giant, a developer or a major multinational like Google, the Government is not going to listen to you. Workers need to prepare

This budget is a budget for property developers and big American fast food conglomerates. In fact, the only PAYE worker who benefits from this is Ronald McDonald. Student fees are up by €500, with no commitment to €200 childcare or a public childcare scheme and no second tier … whopper of a giveaway with absolutely no caveats around affordability or supply. At a time when we have 220,000 children in consistent poverty, 5,000 children are homeless and 300,000 people are in arrears with their energy bills, the Government is spending over €500 billion

carbon intensive and subject to rapid price shocks; — in confronting the fact that 29 per cent of Irish households are in energy poverty and hundreds of thousands of electricity and gas customers are in arrears, we must ensure that in moving to a net-zero Ireland we adhere … Phase 2 of the National Land Use Review has been with the Minister for Climate, Energy, and the Environment, the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine and the Minister of State at Housing, Local Government and Heritage almost a year and is still not published; — the Government

they can thrive again. We turn to our farmers, whose dedication to their land and livestock is unmatched. They work tirelessly to put food on our tables, yet they are often the first to feel the impact of natural disasters. Storm Éowyn has wreaked havoc on many … targeting grants for EVs to rural areas. Besides the obvious benefits in respect of transport emission reductions in areas that have transport poverty and are not served well by public transport, it was noted by Professor Hannah Daly of UCC that many people discovered the vehicle-to-load

record on childcare. Households continue to struggle to make it to the end of the week, light and heat their homes and put food on the table, with soaring grocery bills and rip-off insurance costs, never mind the rent or mortgage. Hard-working people see their wages … ramp up the delivery of affordable housing and of council housing will remain unmet. It is not only in housing where their poverty of ambition leaps from the page. Where is the public model of childcare that Simon Harris talked a big game on? Not a whisper. Where

from the cost-of-living crisis. The decision today does not undo how the Government sold out working people in favour of fast food chains in last year's budget, a decision that was, incredibly, cheer-leaded by other Opposition parties. The Government chose … fossil fuels that may barely keep pace with inflation. We know that one in three older people living alone is at risk of poverty. We know that more than 95,000 children are growing up in a household that cannot afford everyday items. They deserve long-term, strategic

This is further evidenced by today’s unemployment numbers. I see unemployment and incomes as being intrinsically interlinked. The best way out of poverty is through employment. The best way to raise living standards is through employment. I recall the dark days of the 1980s when Ireland … cost impacts on firms from these measures but with significant differences by sector. In particular, the impacts on the likes of the accommodation, food and retail sectors were highlighted, especially arising from the transition to the living wage. Reflecting on the findings of that review, a range

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

global trading system and economic integration which has delivered immense benefit to all countries and has helped lift hundreds of millions out of poverty across the world; recognises that: — the Government is working intensively with EU partners on the EU response; — the European Commission, in line with … this island. They have to export to create markets for themselves. There are not enough people on this island to eat all the food and drink that we produce. We have to export it, and that sector has been very badly affected and people have expressed this publicly

such as the Indecon Cost of Disability in Ireland - Research Report, and the more recent Economic and Social Research Institute report entitled "Headline Poverty Target Reduction in Ireland and the Role of Work and Social Welfare", will be given due consideration when progressing this work; and — a public … Importantly, in relation to the cost of living, and the cases being referred to by Deputies, nobody in Ireland needs to go without food or heating for financial reasons. My Department’s community welfare service is available to provide financial support for those essentials. I do not want

ambitious world trade agenda. We believe trade not only brings economic benefits, but it helps lift people and countries out of poverty, and it contributes to a more stable and predictable world. The era of free trade over the past 30 or 40 years … free trade agreements, supporting more opportunity for exports and investment, helping support jobs and growth at home, maintaining strict European Union standards on food safety, animal and plant health, and supporting better environmental and human rights standards around the world. That is why we will bring forward legislation