Taoiseach Leo Varadkar has confirmed that the cost of living measures end after February because the government doesn’t have the funds to continue all of them.
Speaking about the introduction of the cost of living measures such as the three €200 energy credits last year to assist Irish households, Mr Varadkar said that the government will carry out a review to see which measures they can continue to support. He said: "We will work out which measure we can continue and which ones we can’t.”
However, the Taoiseach didn't clarify which measures would be scrapped after requests were made by the Opposition. He said n response: "Those are very legitimate and fair questions to ask, but I can’t answer them because the Government hasn’t met.”
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Meanwhile, the Taoiseach said that the current reduction seen in childcare costs would likely be permanent and that he would like to "go further" with this. Mr Varadkar added that the government will do an assessment of all reliefs in the next few weeks, so that people will have more clarity on their financial situation.
The Taoiseach also noted that inflation is finally starting to slow down, but "it’s just that prices are going up less fast than they were earlier.” Meanwhile, Sinn Fein leader Mary Lou McDonald told the Dail that the cost of Living crisis “hasn’t gone away” with more people turning to charities for financial help.
Ms McDonald noted that organisations like the Society of St Vincent de Paul have reported large increases in requests for help. She added: “The cost of living crisis hasn’t gone away. For many households the situation is in fact getting worse."
The Dublin Central TD has called on the government to provide "clarity" for people who are struggling amid the cost of living crisis. She said: "People continue to make hard decisions just to make it to the end of the week. After two years of people being hammered by soaring living costs, people need clarity.
"You’ve said there’ll be no cliff edge, but people need to see the plan," added Ms McDonald.
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