I want to raise again the issue of the need to set up a cost-of-living hardship emergency fund to be distributed by community welfare officers in order that families can access the resources they need for things like fuel and food, and for those community welfare officers to be in the community, like they used to be. I welcome the fact community welfare officers are at the airports, welcoming and resourcing Ukrainian refugees. Given the urgent needs people are going to have in the future, particularly with another increase of 6.7% in inflation over the next couple of months, we must bring in a fund like this, separate to the supplementary welfare allowance scheme, which is for a different purpose. We are talking about a specific hardship fund so people can access community welfare officers for food and fuel in the community. It is very important that we do this and the Government should respond.

The Department of Social Protection has a fund - the urgent needs payment - that is available for those who are experiencing difficulty. Such people should go to their community welfare officer.

They cannot access this through the community welfare officer.

The community welfare officer is available to help them. I do not want to see anybody in dire straits. That is the safety net. If anybody is in difficulty, they should go to their community welfare officer. If there is a specific instance, the Deputy should bring it to my attention and I am happy to talk to her.

It is the long term that we have to look at.