People Before Profit has called for an emergency budget that would see weekly social welfare payments increase to €300 a week and a price cap on groceries.
The Labour Party called for an extension on the evictions moratorium.
However, senior Government sources told the Irish Mirror that there are “no plans” for an emergency Budget.
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It comes as the cost of living crisis was laid bare in a stark new report from Barnardos today.
The report found that parents are skipping meals or reducing their portion sizes to ensure that their children have enough food. One in five parents said they did not have enough food to feed their children at some point in the last year, while 29% of parents said that they sometimes or occasionally worry about not being able to provide their children with enough food, up 10% in a year.
Speaking in Leinster House on Wednesday morning, Richard Boyd-Barrett suggested that an emergency budget was required to address the “shocking level of poverty that people are suffering”.
He explained: “Our call is that there has to be an emergency budget to increase basic social welfare and pension rates and income levels to at least keep pace with inflation and the introduction of price controls on basic goods and services.
“The government has the power to do [this] under the Consumer Protection Act.”
When asked by the Irish Mirror how much he wanted social welfare and pension payments to increase by, Mr Boyd-Barrett said that the weekly payments should rise to €300.
The Dún Laoghaire TD also confirmed that he was suggesting that you would set a limit on the price of basic goods and that the State would bridge the gap.
He also accused large retailers and energy companies of “profiteering” and said that this needed to be addressed as well.
Mr Boyd-Barrett continued: “If necessary, basic goods and services should be subsidised in order to make them affordable.
“We cannot have a situation where people are relying on food banks or cutting back on food for their children.
“The government have to introduce caps to make sure that basic goods and services are affordable. They have the power to do it.”
People Before Profit’s Mick Barry said that the Government needs to keep its “hands off the cost of living supports” and not reduce supports at the end of this month as planned.
Labour leader Ivana Bacik, meanwhile, called for the Government to extend the moratorium on evictions to the end of the year. It is currently due to expire at the end of April.
Her colleague Aodhán Ó Ríordáin said that the Government should “entertain” calls for a mini-Budget.
Senior Government sources told the Irish Mirror that there are no plans for an emergency or mini-Budget.
Talks on cost of living supports that are due to expire at the end of this month are due to intensify over the next week.
The Irish Mirror understands that the Department of Public Expenditure and the Department of Finance have been carrying out “detailed work” but that they have not had the opportunity to present this to Ministers.
However, Taoiseach Leo Varadkar, Tánaiste Micheál Martin and Green Party leader Eamon Ryan are expected to discuss the matter at their weekly leaders’ meeting next Monday evening.
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