Taoiseach Leo Varadkar has vowed that there will be no “cliff edge” to cost of living supports as he confirmed when new measures will be announced.
A raft of measures, including excise cuts on petrol and diesel and VAT cuts on electricity, will cease at the end of the month.
Talks on supports will continue throughout the week, with the big meeting expected to take place when the Cabinet sub-committee on the economy convenes on Thursday.
READ MORE: Enoch Burke Valentine's Day card becomes 'Ireland's bestseller' thanks to cheeky caption
On his way into Cabinet on Tuesday morning, the Taoiseach confirmed that a decision on the continuation of supports will not be made until next Tuesday’s Cabinet meeting.
“[There is] nothing specifically on the agenda today around the cost of living,” Mr Varadkar said.
“Obviously we're working on that over the course of the next week and should be able to sign off decisions at Cabinet next Tuesday.
“There will be further meetings this week involving the key ministers – Finance, Public Expenditure, Social Protection and the party leaders.
“We'd anticipate being in a position to make decisions at next week's Cabinet meeting. Anything we do does require a Finance Bill [progressing through the Dáil] so that will have to be done quite quickly next week.
“What I said before and I'll say again is that people won't see a cliff edge in terms of the financial supports being removed.
“The cost of living remains very high. Inflation is slowing, which is a good thing [but] the cost of living remains very high.”
Mr Varadkar said that the current measures cannot “be repeated forever” and the Government is now looking at how these measures will be phased out over the coming months.
The Taoiseach also acknowledged a report from Bernardos last week but said that he was “not sure it’s correct” to say one in 10 families are visiting food banks.
However, he added that “nobody doubts that there has been an increase in the number of families struggling to make ends meet”.
He also stressed that those on social welfare and pensioners are among the people struggling the most as he indicated that targeted measures will be needed.
Although the Taoiseach, Tánaiste Micheál Martin and Green Party leader Eamon Ryan met last night, the Irish Mirror understands that the meeting did not focus on the cost of living.
Government sources said that it is too early to say what supports or measures will be put in place. However, there have been suggestions that the Taoiseach’s repeated comments about pensioners and those on social welfare could lead to double payments for these cohorts.
Sources also stated that the weather over the next couple of months could impact the decisions that the Cabinet makes on supports.
If the weather is “shocking” in March and April, one source explained, this could lead to greater demand for energy and higher prices. This will form part of the “strategic” decisions to be taken by the Government.
READ NEXT:
- 'I bought Regency rifles of Hutches for €30k' - IRA man who did time for having AK-47s breaks silence
- RTE's Upfront with Katie Hannon viewers all say the same thing after 'frustrating' eviction ban debate
- 'Shocking' Beast from the East weather repeat may impact Government plans for more cost of living supports
- Muireann O'Connell dubbed a 'diva' as Ireland AM co-hosts outline specific tea demand
- Irish pub with cheeky sign wants to 'bring back the art of chat up lines' this Valentine's Day
Get breaking news to your inbox by signing up to our newsletter
