Sinn Fein have slammed Taoiseach Micheál Martin for blaming Russian President Vladimir Putin for the rising cost of living crisis in Ireland.
Sinn Fein’s Pearse Doherty called for a mini-Budget and said the Government can’t wait to intervene until October’s Budget.
He said the Government can do more to help households who are struggling to make ends meet before then.
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He said: “It’s soul-destroying.
“A child going on a school tour shouldn’t be a household crisis, but it is.
“Food poverty is now a feature of life for an ever growing number of children.
“As families keep an eye on every euro they spend, you told them to prepare for a rocky road ahead to be ready for a new era of high fuel and energy costs.
“This is astonishing because workers and families have been walking the rocky road of extortion and fuel and energy costs for the best part of a year now.
“To tell people as you did, they're already struggling to pay their bills, that they want to tighten their belts even further, it's painfully out of touch.
“We’re talking about households having to deal with rip off rents, food prices increasing sharply, energy bills and childcare fees that cost a second mortgage.
“People can’t catch their breath or catch a break.
“Prices at pumps are shooting up again.
“We need a mini-Budget right now - they can’t hang on for another five months.”
Hitting back at Mr Doherty which resulted in loud sighs from the Dail, Mr Martin said: “Your objective is to lay all of the blame on the Government, just like the Russian ambassador did yesterday... blame the Government, or blame the Government of the day.”
The Taoiseach argued that Putin’s war in Ukraine is bringing “extraordinary economic cost and disruption,” which is triggering a massive spike in the cost of energy.
He said it is causing and “will cause a massive spike in the cost of energy,” and will cause “a major food security crisis.”
He said Mr Doherty failed to acknowledge the implications of the war in Ukraine on the economy in Ireland.
And that the Government has already allocated €2.5 billion to the cost of living crisis to help households.
But Mr Doherty hit back and said people are aware of the external factors that are pushing up prices but “that doesn't absolve you as Taoiseach, indeed your government from acting and doing everything in your power to protect households and families here, households that are struggling to make it to the end of the week.”
He called on the Taoiseach to listen to ordinary people who are eating out of food banks.
The Donegal TD added: “And you're telling them that they have to tighten their belt that the leader of this government isn't going to intervene with any measures until at least October at the very earliest.
“So that to me is a testament of a Taoiseach and a government who is so far out of touch, you couldn't make it up.”
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