Mary Regan: Government has ruled out cost-of-living help: no surprise – there is no election to win
It was something of a hostage to fortune that the first piece of legislation passed by the current Dáil was to increase the number of junior ministers, which saw TDs being paid an extra €45,846 on top of their salaries. The prioritisation is something of which Sinn Féin is clearly going to remind the Coalition, as consumers continue to feel the pinch of rising prices. Expect to hear a lot more about it as the cost-of-living crisis makes its way back up the political agenda. If the coalition leaders thought they would avoid the debate ahead of this year’s budget, then the opposition has other ideas. Rises in food prices and insurance sent the rate of inflation up again last month. The consumer price index rose by 2.2pc in the year to April, compared to the annual increase of 2pc in the year to March. Credit to : Irish Independent