Kathleen Funchion: Questions Government on Soaring Cost of Living
Kathleen Funchion spoke in a debate on 14 February 2023 about the cost of living crisis, condemning energy company profiteering and urging greater supports for struggling families. She argued the situation has worsened over the past year and called for extensions to fuel allowance and restored community welfare access.
Main points raised
Funchion opened by recalling a cost of living motion a year earlier and asked, "How are we still in this situation?" She commended Deputy Doherty for bringing the motion and accused energy companies of profiteering from struggling families.
Food insecurity and lone parents
She highlighted a three-fold increase in parents using food banks, reported that 30% of parents have skipped meals to feed their children, and noted one in five parents did not have enough food for their children in the last 12 months. Funchion warned tens of thousands of lone parents - predominantly female-led one-parent families - face rising deprivation and low disposable incomes.
Benefits and community welfare concerns
Funchion urged that the fuel allowance be extended to work and family payment recipients, saying families cannot pay electricity bills. She raised problems accessing community welfare funds, the loss of face-to-face community welfare officer meetings since COVID, and that many people are embarrassed to approach community welfare or St Vincent de Paul for help.
Barnardo's visit and parliamentary appeal
Funchion said she is hosting Barnardo's in the Leinster House AV room at 11am tomorrow and encouraged the minister and all deputies to attend. She stressed deputies in government must be confronting these hardships in their constituency clinics and cannot claim ignorance of the crisis.
Political judgement
Funchion concluded by delivering a stark political judgment on the government's handling of the crisis, saying the government "has to hang its head in shame."
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Actually, when I was putting notes together for what I wanted to say today, I realised that nearly a year ago, this time last year, on the 15th of February, we had a cost of living motion. We had a debate on that, and here we are exactly 12 months later, and unfortunately things have just gotten an awful lot worse for people. I want to firstly commend my own colleague, Deputy Doherty, for bringing forward this motion. But we do have to ask ourselves, how are we still in this situation? Why are energy companies being allowed to profiteer off the backs of really struggling families, and Barnardo's was mentioned by Deputy Doherty. Tomorrow, Barnardo's are going to be here in Leinster House, I am hosting them in the AV room, it is at 11am, and I would encourage Minister for yourself to come along if you can, and all deputies, because the deputies in government have to be hearing this in their clinics and their constituency offices as well. Everybody is struggling, and I think to try and say that you are not aware of the issue, you really can't actually say that. As it has been mentioned already, as it has been mentioned already, a three-fold increase in parents resorting to food banks, and actually 30% of parents are reporting that they have skipped meals themselves in order to provide meals for their families, for their children. That is one in five parents stated in the last 12 months that they did not have enough food to feed their children. On the one hand, we have celebrations over, as has been said, how well the economy is doing, and then you have people not being able to provide basic meals for their children. I am really concerned that tens of thousands of lone parents, in particular, will be pulled more into deprivation. We know that one-parent families are predominantly female led, and experience the lowest levels of disposable income, and are at the highest risk of poverty, so that is something that does need to be looked at. Again, I want to mention the fuel allowance. I know it has been mentioned, but it does need to be extended to work and family payment recipients, because these are obviously families on very low incomes. Families can't pay the electricity bills. This is just a continuous issue, and people are really struggling. I also want to bring up the issue of community welfare, and people not being able to access that fund, or not being able to get any assistance or support from that. Also, in relation to the movement of community welfare officers, I think we need to see these back-based and local health centres, and people need to be able to access face-to-face meetings, because that service seems to be totally gone in most areas since COVID, and I think that has been used as an excuse as well. It is obviously much more beneficial for people to be able to go in and talk to a human being and explain their situation. We have countless people coming to us, because they are actually embarrassed to go to community welfare, or they are embarrassed to contact St Vincent de Paul, so they are asking for our help with that. This government has to hang its head in shame, or to stand over. Thank you. Ms. Thank you very much for pointing to our
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