I have a question the Minister should be fairly familiar with. Many parents and families have contacted me in the past few days wondering how they are going to pay their children's student fees and rent. People are beginning to see through this Government. The reason it decided to put a halt to the promises made to students and not to include a cost-of-living package in this year's budget is that this is not an election year. Families are being squeezed for every penny they have and the Government has now decided to add an additional cost of €1,000 for each child attending college. One lady who called my constituency office asked me not to let the Government do this. She said that an additional €1,000 would put her family in arrears with their mortgage and that they are living day by day as it is. I will ask the Minister what his fellow Ministers are also asking. Will the Government reverse the decision to charge students and their families an additional €1,000 this year and work towards scrapping student fees once and for all?

I thank the Deputy. I will outline what we are doing to support people with the cost of living, which we know continues to be a significant issue and problem for many, even when the price growth we have had to deal with for many years is slowing. What has the Government done to respond to the needs we know are there? We are rolling out the free hot school meals system and making free GP care available for under-eights. We have rolled out a free schoolbooks scheme in primary schools across the country and the Minister for Education and Youth is now looking to roll out free schoolbooks across secondary schools. The back-to-school clothing and footwear allowance will be available before the summer. We have rolled out a summer school meals programme. Action has been taken to reduce the PSO obligation in respect of renewable energy. Eligibility for the fuel allowance has been expanded so that thousands more people, particularly older people, are able to qualify for the scheme. We know the cost of living continues to be an issue for many. These are the actions the Government has taken. We need to ensure that the actions we take in the time ahead are affordable and permanent and that we can build upon them. That is why these important decisions need to be made on budget day.