This Government has had every warning and every opportunity to act yet it continues to ignore the depth of poverty and social exclusion growing across communities and the State. The measures in this Bill fall far short of what is needed. After years of record surpluses and headline promises, families are still being left behind and are struggling with food, energy, housing and transport costs while the Government congratulates itself on token increases that barely touch the size of this crisis. Core welfare payments are falling behind inflation once again. There was no increase in child benefit, no credible plan to tackle child poverty and no urgency in confronting the cost-of-living emergency. Energy prices are rising again; by more than 12% this winter. More than 300,000 households are in electricity arrears and almost 175,000 are in arrears in respect of gas. Food costs are still soaring, and families cannot keep up. We in Sinn Féin set out a stronger and fairer alternative that would make a real difference in people's lives. We proposed a €25 increase in the domiciliary care allowance, a €450 set of energy credits and a boost of almost €300 to the fuel allowance. We also called for €2.2 billion in additional funding for social protection - double what the Government provided - to lift families out of poverty, protect real incomes and give struggling households a fighting chance this winter and into next year. Carers continue to be treated disgracefully. The carer's allowance remains means-tested, despite repeated promises from multiple parties to end that test. I believe that “within 100 days” was some of the language used yet we have seen zero progress on that. These are people who save the State billions through unpaid care and who sacrifice their own incomes to look after loved ones. They do it out of love but it saves the State a huge amount of money. Instead of recognition of that fact, they are forced to prove their poverty every year to qualify for that modest support. That is indefensible. Child poverty is worsening. The Government has missed its own targets and quietly pushed them further out of reach. One in five children, that is, over 225,000 children, live in poverty once housing costs are counted. One in five parents now skip meals in order that their children can eat and among lone parents, that figure is one in three. Behind those numbers are exhausted parents and anxious children and a whole body of trauma that will last for decades to come. Tá bochtaineacht agus eisiamh sóisialta ag dul i méid ar fud na tíre. Tá costais bhia, bhreosla, tithíochta agus iompair ag cur brú dochreidte ar theaghlaigh. Tá cúramóirí agus oibrithe ísealioncaim á bhfágáil ar lár ag an Rialtas seo, atá rófhada ó réaltacht an tsaoil. Tá spriocanna maidir le bochtaineacht leanaí caillte agus á mbrú siar arís agus arís eile in ainneoin go bhfuil acmhainn airgeadais ag an Stát chun dul i ngleic leis an bhfadhb seo. Rural communities are under severe pressure too. Higher heating and transport costs, limited public transport and lower incomes mean deeper hardship. Families in rural Ireland pay more to get by and receive less support in return - that is the reality of Government neglect by both this Government and its predecessors. On the second element of this Bill, the Government's auto-enrolment scheme, Sinn Féin supports the principle of workers saving for retirement but rejects this design. Taking money from low-paid workers and locking it away for six months during a cost-of-living crisis is unfair. We believe the State, through the NTMA, should manage these funds safely and transparently for the public good - not hand them to private pension firms. Poverty is rising, inequality is deepening, and the Government is standing still and watching from the sidelines. We in Sinn Féin will continue to fight for a fair, modern system of social protection that values carers, protects families and tackles poverty head-on.

Sentiment score: -0.14