Cost of Living: Motion
Seanad Éireann — 2022-06-15
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Paul Gavan (SF), Labour Panel

I move amendment No. 1:
To delete all words after "Seanad Éireann" and substitute the following:
"notes that:
- Ireland is facing a cost-of-living crisis;
- the cost-of-living crisis is driven by inflation, by external factors such as supply and demand mismatches following the Covid-19 pandemic, the war in Ukraine and domestic factors such as housing and rental crisis inflation;
- inflation reached 7.8 percent in the twelve months to May 2022, the highest rate of inflation in 38 years;
- inflation disproportionately impacts lower and middle-income households, who spend a higher proportion of their income on food, energy and other essential goods and services;
- core social welfare rates have failed to keep pace with the rising cost of living;
- the minimum wage has failed to keep pace with the rising cost of living;
- in the past twelve months:
- the price of petrol and diesel has risen by 26 percent and 42 percent, respectively;
- the price of home heating oil has more than doubled;
- household energy prices have increased by 57 percent;
- rental prices have increased by 12 percent;
calls on the Government to take appropriate emergency action, to include:
- the introduction of a ‘cost-of-living cash payment’ of €200 for every adult with an income less than €30,000 and €100 for every adult with an income between €30,000 and €60,000;
- an increase in working-age social welfare rates in response to the rising cost of living;
- the establishment of a discretionary fund of €15 million, to assist households with utility debt;
- an increase in the minimum wage in response to the rising cost of living;
- the removal of excise duty applied to home heating oil on a temporary basis;
- a further reduction of excise duty on petrol and diesel;
- an immediate reduction in childcare fees; and
- the introduction of a refundable tax credit equivalent to one month’s rent and a ban on rent increases for a period of three years."

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Record URI: https://data.oireachtas.ie/akn/ie/debateRecord/seanad/2022-06-15/debate/main
Retrieved: 2026-08-27T06:54:39+00:00
Sitting date: 2022-06-15