People are struggling. Sometimes I ask myself whether the Government has any idea what is happening. The Minister of State is from west Cork. How do people who do not drive a car or van in west Cork get to work, school, college or hospital? People cannot depend on public transport. The Government is behaving in a sneaky way. It will put up the price of diesel and petrol while the Government is on holidays. The Minister of State should stand up and be a man. If the Government is going to increase the price, it should increase it. The Government should come in here and do it rather than when its members are out sunning themselves. Why will the Government not accept that and stand over its decisions? Is it afraid of doing so? The price of petrol and diesel will increase on 1 September. The Government will not even be here to stand over its decisions. Parents with children who are home from school cannot afford summer camps or the cost of extra food. People are struggling when they go to the shops. They wonder what they will feed their kids. This is the reality for families and ordinary working people. The Irish League of Credit Unions has said that one in five families will not be able to afford a holiday. How is it right that people can work all year and do everything right but cannot afford to take a trip? We are not talking about going to Dubai or America. One in five people cannot afford a short family holiday. People cannot afford to pay their energy bills. They cannot afford diesel or petrol and are struggling to put food on their table. What is the Government doing? I do not know what it is doing, because it is letting people down.

Sentiment score: 0.03