When we discuss the cost-of-living crisis, we need to move beyond the headlines and focus on the reality facing households. The Government points to falling inflation rates as evidence the crisis is easing but inflation measures the speed at which prices are rising. It does not mean prices are returning to previous levels. According to analysis of CSO data, the reality is that overall consumer prices are approximately 24% higher than they were five years ago. Families carry the cumulative impact of five years of rising costs. The increases have been most severe in the areas people cannot avoid. Electricity prices are up 62% since 2021, natural gas prices have more than doubled and home heating fuels have increased by over 60%. They are not luxury expenses; they are basic necessities of life. Food prices continue to increase year after year. Food inflation reached 5.1% in 2025 while the price of many everyday grocery items increased substantially. Families see these increases every week as they pay for their shopping. At the same time, the Government continues to speak about economic growth, strong tax revenues and budget surpluses. If the public finances are so healthy, why are so many working households struggling to get ahead? That is the question the Government cannot answer. One area where relief can be provided immediately is through the abolition of the universal social charge. Independent Ireland has consistently argued that the USC has outlived whatever purpose it may once have served. Just last week, Councillor Danny Collins tabled a motion before Cork County Council calling for its abolition. His point was straightforward - the USC was introduced in 2011 as a temporary measure. Fifteen years later, workers continue to pay it despite repeated promises it would be reduced or abolished. The State collects between €4 billion and €5 billion every year through the USC. Meanwhile, families deal with rising housing costs, childcare and fuel costs and energy bills. Independent Ireland believes workers should keep more of the money they earn. That starts with the abolition of the USC. Independent Ireland believes in rewarding people who work but this Government and some in opposition believe in punishing those who work or create employment. The same principle applies to carbon tax. For years, many of us warned carbon tax would increase the cost of everyday living. We were told we were wrong yet today we see the impact. Motorists pay approximately €1.85 per litre for petrol and €1.88 per litre for diesel. More than half what motorists pay at the pumps consists of tax, levies and charges. Taxes account for approximately 58% of the price of petrol and 52% of the price of diesel. That is why communities across Ireland witnessed fuel protests. Ordinary hardworking people took the streets because they believed Government policy was making life more expensive and they could not afford to continue. They were not asking for special treatment; they were asking for common sense. Housing remains another major contributor to the cost-of-living crisis. The Government will point to more than 36,000 homes being completed in 2025. While that increase is welcome, affordability remains the real issue. Residential property prices have increased by 7.3% in the year to October 2025, with a median dwelling price reaching €381,000. For many young couples and single workers trying to purchase their first homes, those figures place home ownership further out of reach. The Government talks constantly about supply, but people judge housing policy by whether they can afford to buy a home or pay their rent. Childcare is another example of the gap between promises and delivery. Families are repeatedly promised affordable childcare. Parents were told that costs would reduce significantly, yet many families continue to pay hundreds of euro every month simply to go to work. The aspiration was commendable; the delivery has been lacking. I wish to address what has become one of the worst examples of public sector mismanagement in the history of the State, the national children's hospital. The Minister for Health recently stated on Gavan Reilly's programme that there should be between 500 and 600 workers on site at the project, but when she asked to see all these workers, she said, "They declined." You could not make it up. Let us consider that for a moment. This project began with an expected cost of less than €1 billion. It is now projected to cost well over €2 billion. It has become the most expensive hospital project in the history of the State and probably the world. Electricity from Electric Ireland is going up by 8% today. We have not been able to bring the electricity companies to task in this country. They can just put up the electricity to any price. For those who have solar panels, and some are lucky enough to have them even though the grant is shockingly bad, tell me that what they are getting from Electric Ireland is not going to rise. Electric Ireland will put up the charge if we are using the electricity, therefore, but it will screw over the ordinary hard-working person who has put money into their home and put up solar panels. We are not fighting for renewables and to give people that opportunity or bonus by having renewables in their homes.

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