It is not a case of the Government coming a day late and a dollar short. Rather, it is a year late and several hundred dollars short for the vast majority of families. The clock did not start ticking in the last number of weeks, although it has got worse for families and fuel prices have gone up. In the budget last year, the Government had an opportunity to deal with the cost-of-living crisis, but it did nothing for families. Of course, before the election – people could see this clearly and transparently - any amount of money could be made available and supports were put in place. As soon as the election was over, however, all of those supports disappeared like snow off a ditch. People were left with rising bills, not just in the context of fuel prices, but with food prices and insurance costs too. Almost every cost families have is increasing, leaving them unable to pay the bills. I visited the home of a family recently who asked me to visit a 91-year-old woman who received a bill that she simply cannot pay. She told me that with all the bills she has and the price of everything increasing, she simply does not know what to do. She explained that if fuel prices keep rising, the only option she will have is to not heat her home or turn down how often she heats it. That is the reality for a 91-year-old woman and many more like her. They do not want hollow words from the Tánaiste. Frankly, they do not care what the Tánaiste thinks about Sinn Féin and our motion, or his response about what is happening in the North or anywhere else.

Sentiment score: 0.04

Their only concern is what the Government will do right now for them.

Sentiment score: 0.00

That is what they want to know. What will it do? The Tánaiste has come to the Chamber today with nothing. He has no proposals. He talks about how the Government might do something but we do not know what that will be.

Sentiment score: -0.04

Sinn Féin has come with proposals, not just this week but before the last budget, when the Government had the opportunity to support families and workers but decided to look after vested interests instead. Fine Gael is the party that looks after a cosseted, privileged class. It has showed that time and time again.

Sentiment score: 0.55