Deputy Mary Lou McDonald- speech from 12 Jul 2022

30-second answers, please. Well, any answer, 30 seconds, two seconds. Deputy MacDonald. Any answer would be great. Taoiseach, I've raised with you many, many times the real stress on families now with the cost of getting children back to school in September. I have also acknowledged that it is welcome that the back-to-school allowance has been increased by €100, so let's acknowledge that. But we also ask that that allowance be extended. There's lots of middle-income families who are struggling and struggling badly, and they are not going to qualify for one red cent. So I want you to reconsider that and to make that available to those households. We reckon that some 500,000 additional children ought to be covered. They come from middle-income families and they need a break. I think the back-to-school allowance has been increased is a good thing, and the school meals extension and also the reduction or the elimination of school transport fees for the coming academic year for second-level schools and primary schools. And in relation to the broader issues that you've mentioned, 2.5 billion so far has been implemented in terms of cost of living measures. The forthcoming cost of living package at the end of September will deal with that group that you've referenced and have greater breadth altogether in terms of helping them and introducing the pressure. The other issue is a good thing. The other issue is a little bit, so we want to get into that group that we've continued to attend. The other issue, it's hard to take a comfortable direction. The other issue, it is one of the first-time offerings that you're losing their community. The other issue is to ensure that you're not getting the best, but so that you're losing it. The other issue is a good question. The other issue, it is the second-sovereity of the