Labour Party Away Day to focus on tackling cost of living crisis
Labour Party Away Day to focus on tackling cost of living crisis - The Labour Party
The Labour Party will gather in Galway tomorrow (3-4 September) for the annual Party Away Day and Think In, where discussions will focus on the cost of living crisis in advance of Budget 2027.
Speaking ahead of the Think In, Labour Leader Ivana Bacik TD said that the Party’s focus will be on driving down household bills as families face enormous back to school costs this week.
Deputy Bacik said:
“This Government has left people behind. With housing and childcare increasingly unaffordable, energy costs soaring, and back to school costs rising, the Labour Party has a plan to drive down people’s bills, tackle the cost of living and revolutionise energy generation in Ireland.
“We are calling on the Government to use Budget 2027 to deliver meaningful supports for families, rather than untargeted measures that are ineffective in reducing household costs.
“We know that the pressures on many families are particularly acute as children made the return to school this week. This year, primary school parents expected on average to spend over €1,600 across the school year, including over €600 in upfront costs. The average cost of digital devices alone for second level schools has now reached €430.
“In July, the Labour Party brought forward a Dáil motion proposing practical measures to tackle back to school costs and address the growing ‘digital divide’. We want to see the Government adopt our proposals and reduce the cost of education for hard pressed families.
“As we see a growing crisis in childcare and early years education, with many families unable to access creche places, we also want to see Government adopt our proposals for a public childcare scheme, to reduce costs for parents, ensure decent wages for childcare workers and most importantly deliver greater quality care and equality for children.
“Budget 2027 also needs to deliver targeted energy supports for families. Rapidly rising energy costs are eating into people’s incomes, with many thousands now in arrears on energy bills.
“Labour put forward mini-Budget proposals in May, including targeted energy credits to support families when energy bills rise. We are calling on the Government to adopt our proposals in their own Budget this October.
“Labour campaigned on the need for a retrofitting revolution during the General Election, and that call remains just as important today, particularly in the context of the war in the Middle East. We have called for delivery of a massive street-by-street retrofitting programme for homes, to ensure lower energy bills for households, along with reducing our reliance on fossil fuels.
“In last year’s Budget, the Government offered a subsidy to fast food chains, with nothing for PAYE workers. How Budget 2027 delivers for hardworking people will be a crucial test for this Fianna Fáil/Fine Gael/Independent coalition.”