Cork TD: We have to shield the vulnerable from rising prices

PEOPLE are under enormous pressure due to the cost of living crisis, and it’s crucial that those in need of support get the appropriate and necessary assistance that is required from the Government.

There are many people, ordinary workers and families, who will be left behind unless appropriate action is taken.

It’s therefore extremely important that the State is providing the necessary support that is needed.

I am dealing with countless families day in and day out in Cork, who are really struggling under relentless pressure from food costs, energy costs, rent, and mortgage costs.

There seems to be no end in sight, and no respite for these families, the reason for that is that the Government is out of touch with the struggles of ordinary workers and families.

They have failed to provide certainty to households in terms of energy bills, refused to freeze rents for renters or provide relief to hard-pressed mortgage holders, and continue to sit on their hands as food prices soar.

The decision by the Government in Budget 2023 to provide rate increases to social welfare recipients and pensioners, which fell significantly short of what was required to cope with inflation, has been devastating for people.

This was despite proposals brought forward by Sinn Féin and others who recognised the need for greater weekly social welfare increases.

While one-off lump sum payments are welcome, they simply aren’t enough to get people through the financial struggles that people are faced with.

The gap between rich and poor widened on account of the last budget.

It is therefore crucial that those in need of the most support, get the most support and receive increases in their weekly social welfare and pension payments that will counter inflation and stem the flow of families and pensioners into food poverty, and give them the breathing space that is so urgently needed.

As Sinn Féin spokesperson on Social Protection, I can assure you that my party and I will be fighting tooth and nail in the next budget to ensure that this happens and that those in need of the most support, get the most support.

The burden that the escalating cost of living is placing on workers and families is completely unsustainable.

This pressure has been exacerbated by their government’s failure to intervene to reduce energy bills or provide mortgage relief from ever-rising interest rates.

Fianna Fáil, Fine Gael and the Green Party are completely out of touch with the cost-of-living strain being placed on households.

The challenges for households are being compounded by soaring energy, grocery and food bills. The escalating costs now facing households across the state is completely unsustainable and something has to give.

It is also vitally important that the Government continue to support and invest in EmployAbility Services. As a society, we must ensure that those with disabilities get the most assistance with securing employment or getting back to work, and most importantly, remaining in employment.

We need to ensure that we build a society that our young people believe they can prosper and reach their full potential in.

Far too many of our young people don’t see a future for themselves here, we are continually seeing qualified teachers, doctors, electricians... the list goes on, leaving their home and going abroad. It is utterly shameful and heart-breaking for families.

We must change this. We have to ensure there are protections around maternity and paternity leave and also parents and parental leave.

We must ensure that childcare is accessible, and that childcare is affordable. That is not the case for either, at this moment in time.

Young people need to see that they have a future and can raise a family in Ireland again.

The Social Protection safety net that people rely upon must offer proper support to assist people to get back to work, or when they are sick, or when they have retired.

Under Sinn Féin, we will ensure that safety net is strong enough and offers the dignity people deserve.