Laois TD Brian Stanley has called on the Government to introduce additional measures to tackle the rising cost of living, warning that some households across the county are under greater financial pressure than ever before.
The Independent Republican TD raised the issue in the Dáil, highlighting increases in rent, mortgage repayments, electricity, fuel and home heating costs.
He called for a targeted €400 winter energy credit for households earning less than €75,000, alongside additional supports to help families make their homes more energy-efficient.
Deputy Stanley said recent inflation figures did not fully reflect the difficulties facing ordinary households, particularly those on low and middle incomes.
“General inflation, according to the most recent ESRI figures, has jumped even higher than we realised,” he said.
“But overall inflation does not show the full picture, because the items going up are disproportionately hitting middle- and low-income households the hardest.”
He claimed that rents in Laois had increased by between 11% and 13% over the past year, while mortgage costs had risen by 10%.
He also highlighted increases of more than 22% in diesel prices, 15% to 16% in gas and electricity costs, and more than 60% in home heating oil prices.
According to Deputy Stanley, approximately 13,500 households in Laois depend on home heating oil, leaving them particularly exposed to rising prices.
“People are expressing feelings to me of being overwhelmed and stressed and unable to keep up,” he told the Dáil.
Deputy Stanley was also critical of Budget 2027, arguing that it had failed to provide sufficient support for working households.
Citing analysis from Social Justice Ireland, he claimed that workers earning €40,000 would benefit by just €3.34 when other factors were considered, while those earning €30,000 would be worse off.
He also raised concerns about wealth inequality, referring to ESRI research which he said showed that the wealthiest 10% owned as much as the remaining 90% combined.
“The gap between the wealthiest and ordinary working households continues to widen,” he said.
The Laois TD argued that future pay increases in the public sector should provide the greatest percentage benefits to workers on low and middle incomes.
He also called for changes to home energy upgrade schemes, claiming that many working households were unable to afford the upfront costs associated with retrofitting their properties.
Deputy Stanley said there was a particular need for additional assistance in Laois and Offaly, where he argued that the legacy of the peat industry had left a higher proportion of households dependent on solid fuels.
He proposed a special energy upgrade grant for these households, including support for installing solar panels to reduce their reliance on fossil fuels.
“There is a cohort of people on middle and low incomes who do not qualify for the free scheme and cannot raise the money to pay for retrofits,” he said.
“These working-class people need a just transition.”
Deputy Stanley also renewed his call for a €400 winter energy credit targeted at households with a gross annual income below €75,000.
He argued that the Government should reduce the burden of carbon tax on households, particularly those dependent on home heating oil.
“There also must be a €400 winter energy credit – the Government ignored this in the budget – for households with a gross income below €75,000,” he said.
“The Government failed in the budget; it is essential now that it take measures to ease the burden for those households.”
Deputy Stanley said urgent action was needed to ensure that workers and families across Laois could keep pace with the rising cost of essential goods and services.
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