I welcome the opportunity to raise this issue which has been felt in households right across Roscommon-Galway and, indeed, across the country. People are very clear about what they are experiencing. The cost of the weekly shop has risen significantly and it continues to rise. For many households, particularly those on low and middle incomes, this is not an abstract issue; it is a real and immediate pressure. Families are noticing it week to week. They are adjusting what they buy, where they shop and how much they can afford to spend. What was once routine has now become a careful calculation. We know this is not just anecdotal. Food prices have risen by over 20% in a relatively short time. That represents a very real and sustained increase in the cost of living. For lower income households the situation is even more stark. A healthy weekly shop can take up to one third of disposable incomes. When we talk about grocery prices, we are not just talking about marginal changes but we are talking about a structural shift in affordability. The core issue I raise here today is not simply that prices are rising but how those prices are being monitored and understood. We have a number of bodies with roles in this space, including the Competition and Consumer Protection Commission and the Agri-Food Regulator. There is no single body with a clearly defined role in monitoring grocery price trends, examining retail pricing practices or providing a consistent, consumer focused view of what is happening in the market. That raises a fundamental question about whether the current framework is sufficient. If prices are rising at the pace people are experiencing, who is tracking them in a structured way? If there are issues around pricing practices, who is examining them from the perspective of the consumer? If pressures are building, where is the clear line of accountability? In rural areas such as Roscommon-Galway, this issue is particularly acute and was brought to the fore during the recent fuel crisis, which expanded into a cost-of-living issue for people in that area and many other areas. Choice can be more limited and households can be more exposed to rising costs. What assessment has been made of grocery price increases and their impact on consumers? Does the Minister of State accept there may be merit in a more clearly defined stand-alone mechanism or watchdog with the responsibility for monitoring grocery pricing, transparency and affordability from the consumer perspective?

Sentiment score: 0.07

I appreciate the response but the concern remains around how this is being experienced by people on the ground. People are telling us that the value of a euro in the shopping trolley has fundamentally changed. There was a time when people could shop around. They might do a core shop in one retailer and then top up in other retailers for choice. However, we are increasingly hearing those price differences have narrowed significantly, suggesting a lack of competition in the retail sector. The sense of being able to shop strategically and save has reduced and people feel they are paying more regardless of where they go. At the same time, the evidence is clear that healthier food can be up to three times more expensive per calorie than less healthy alternatives while cheaper more processed options continue to offer more for less. People with the least resources eat the unhealthiest food and that has ramifications right throughout our health system and our State. When households are under pressure, they are not making lifestyle choices, they are making budget decisions. That brings me back to the central point. People are seeing prices rise, but they do not see who is actively tracking those increases, analysing them or holding the system to account in a clear and visible way. The question is not whether structures exist but whether they are sufficient or coherent enough for the reality that people are now facing. It has to be put in the context that this is not simply an Irish problem. This is about the lower-middle class people - people who get up for work every morning and pay for everything in this State but who are being squeezed and crushed. As Senator Teresa Costello said to me, there is no fun in their lives. That means they go out for work every day and by the time they get to the end of the week, they just about make ends meet. These are a group of people who do not want to be radicalised but are going to be radicalised. It was clear they were targeted during the recent fuel crisis. Does the Minister of State accept there is case for a more focused and visible approach to monitoring grocery pricing so consumers can have confidence that what they are experiencing is being properly examined and understood?

Sentiment score: 0.09