A Government Minister has apologised for saying that the Irish public should 'shop around' instead of complaining about the rise of the cost of living.
Sean Fleming made the comments during an interview on RTE Drivetime on Monday evening.
The Minister of State at the Department of Finance told host Sarah McInerney: “It takes effort to shop and switch, and if people make an effort they can save a lot of money.
“So rather than just complaining on what the Government can do for me, you can actually have a serious impact on your own finance, but it involves people having to do some work themselves,”.
He was heavily criticised, particularly as part of his role in the Department of Finance would see him well aware of the cost of living.
When asked to clarify if he was telling members of the public to stop complaining about rising costs, Fleming stated that he was speaking about opposition TDs.
And late on Monday, he issued an apology, writing: “In relation to the interview I gave on RTÉ’s Drivetime this evening, I did not intend to imply people shouldn’t complain about the cost of living, that wasn’t my intention and for that I apologise. I was urging people to also shop around for best value, in addition to the measures being taken by the Government.
"The government and Fianna Fáil take the issues around the cost of living very seriously. We are taking action to help ease the cost of living pressures many are currently facing. I am very aware of the cost of living pressures that are currently confronting people and businesses.”
