Social Protection Minister Heather Humphreys has indicated that new cost-of-living measures could include both targeted and universal payments as talks intensify next week.
Senior Government ministers will meet over the coming days to discuss the cost-of-living measures that will finish from the end of February onwards.
Taoiseach Leo Varadkar said an announcement could come as early as next week, with the topic set to dominate the leaders’ meeting next Monday evening.
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Speaking on Friday morning, Minister Humphreys did not bow to calls for an emergency Budget from the opposition.
However, she said that she accepts that those not on social welfare also require help with rising bills.
She said: "I think it's fair to say that this Government is here to help people when they need it and in times of difficulty.
"I am fully aware of the pressures that people are under in terms of the cost of living, in terms of energy costs.
"This is something that Government is looking at. I will be sitting down with my colleagues, [Public Expenditure] Minister [Paschal] Donohoe and [Finance] Minister [Michael] McGrath and we will look and see how we can best target support for people who need it most.
"There's a lot of people out there that aren’t on social welfare benefits that also need help and we have been able to do that to some extent through the energy credit.
"We'll have a discussion and obviously look at where we can help people. That's what we're about.
"There are a lot of working people out there that are also you know, that are not on social welfare payments, that are feeling the pinch.
"What we managed to do the last time was a mix of universal and targeted and that's so we can help people with the cost of living which is across all sections of society."
Measures set to end from the end of February include excise duty cuts on petrol and diesel, VAT cuts on electricity and VAT cuts for the hospitality sector.
The final energy credit will also be placed on bills next month.
Of cost-of-living measures, Minister Humphreys added: "We look at it in its entirety.
"I think the targeted measures and the lump sum payments have been very beneficial for people because they need the money now."
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