Government must intervene to stop spiralling costs – Bacik

Labour Leader Ivana Bacik TD has warned that households across Ireland are at breaking point from the escalating cost-of-living crisis, calling on Government to urgently intervene to protect families facing soaring prices for housing, groceries and energy. Raising the issue in the Dáil today at Leaders’ Questions, Deputy Bacik said the crisis has deepened as global instability collides with Government inaction, leaving working families and those already in poverty struggling to keep up with the rising cost of everyday essentials. 

Deputy Bacik said:

“Families across Ireland are struggling to make ends meet as the cost of everyday essentials continues to rise. People are watching the price of groceries, energy and housing climb week after week, while their wages fail to keep pace. For many households, the weekly shop has become a source of anxiety. In the last five years alone, the price of basic staples such as butter and milk has increased by more than 45 per cent. That is not an abstract statistic – it is the reality facing families at the supermarket checkout.

“This pressure is being felt right across society, but it is particularly severe for those already on the margins. Many people are doing everything right: working hard, budgeting carefully and trying to save what they can. Yet the cost of living keeps rising faster than their incomes. I am currently assisting a family where a father has taken on a second job simply to try to keep up with household bills. They are sending their teenage child to school with only bread, butter and a banana for lunch while cutting back on their own meals. Sadly, this story is not unusual.

“The Taoiseach’s response in the Dáil today was deeply disappointing. Instead of acknowledging the scale of the problem or outlining meaningful action, he pointed to previous announcements such as modest €10 increases in social protection payments. Those increases were absorbed by inflation almost immediately and provide little comfort to households whose costs continue to climb.

“The reality is that Government has the power to act but chooses not to use it. Under the Consumer Protection Act 2007, Government can introduce maximum price orders where abnormal market conditions exist. Labour has argued that these powers should be used to cap the price of home heating oil following the sharp increases we have seen in recent days. Instead of acting decisively, this Government continues to rely on reviews, working groups and market forces that are clearly failing many families.

“Labour is calling for a more interventionist approach to protect households from spiralling costs. That includes measures to curb excessive price increases in essential goods, stronger protections for renters and the removal of the means test for the Carer’s Allowance so that families providing vital care receive proper support. Families deserve stability and fairness. The Government must step up and act.”