Government “out of touch” on cost of living crisis, says O’Callaghan

The cost of living crisis, which arrived on Irish shores in late 2021, has shown no signs of going away anytime soon.

New data from Worldpanel by Numerator, a company specialising in consumer data, found that grocery inflation in Ireland is currently running at 6.5%, the highest level since 2023.

Social Democrats TD and finance spokesperson Cian O’Callaghan said that families “simply cannot cope” with the skyrocketing cost of food.

The Dublin Bay North TD has criticised government inaction on the issue, saying “soaring food prices are something the government promised to address.”

He noted “it’s now been more than two years since Minister Neale Richmond organised his meeting with grocery retailers to discuss runaway prices, however, there has been zero meaningful action since then.”

“Households, now expected to pay another 6.5% increase in food costs, are getting no help from this government.

O’Callaghan said that the recent Budget “once again proved that this government is completely out of touch when it comes to the cost of living crisis.”

“When grocery inflation is ramping up, we should be looking to ease the pressure on families; instead, this government chose to hand out hundreds of millions in tax cuts to multinational fast-food chains and property developers.”

He said that households are being denied targeted supports, in contrast to other budgets, and per O’Calllaghan, the Budget measures will result in “more and more workers, children and pensioners sinking into poverty.”

“The Social Democrats had called for the introduction of a second tier of Child Benefit, a €400 targeted energy credit, and a €15 increase to pension payments to ensure a decent standard of living – proposals that were ignored in the Budget.”

“Food, housing, heating, and electricity are the basics that should not be causing so much stress and worry to people in a country as wealthy as Ireland.”

“Ordinary people are paying the price for this government’s choices. It’s unjust. It’s unsustainable. And it’s indefensible,” he stated.