Before we move to the next speaker, I would like to welcome guests of Senator Clifford Lee, namely her cousin Catharina Butler, who is accompanied by her two daughters, Katie and Emily, and her sister Karen Dobbyn and her daughter Aoife. I hope they enjoy their visit to Leinster House today.

The visitors are very welcome. I want to raise the issue of meals on wheels. At its meeting earlier this morning, the social protection committee had representatives from a number of the LEADER companies before it. They were setting out their strategy for the next five years. Representatives from the Offaly Local Development Company raised the fact that it is providing meals on wheels and that there is a shortage of funding for it. When we are having the conversation about the cost of fuel, we also need to be cognisant of the needs of older persons. Could we also have a conversation or a debate with the Minister of State with responsibility for older persons in the interests of ensuring that the six regional executive officers, REOs, have sufficient funding? This would allow the REOs to ensure that all of those who are responsible for meals on wheels would, in turn, have adequate funding, not just for their work from Monday to Friday but also to provide meals on wheels that are being delivered through many day care centres and that they are able to get to the most vulnerable on a seven-days-a-week basis. That would be really welcome, and I would appreciate the opportunity.

In recent weeks, we have been hearing a lot about the cost-of-living crisis and how it is affecting people. It seems that people in Ireland are not actually living any more, they are barely managing. That is the aspect we need to address. We are in a situation where ordinary people - decent hard-working individuals - are doing their best but are being squeezed in every way. The cost of fuel and insurance are both up. We discussed yesterday the fact that the cost of education is also up. The cost of the weekly shop is up. The small things that used to give people a bit of relief, such as going out for a meal, etc., are now prohibitively expensive. Having a normal night out is now out of bounds. People have been quietly cutting off doing all of those things. They simply cannot afford to live. It seems that people are tired. If we listen to "Liveline" and similar programmes, we will discover that many people are complaining. They are tired of watching every euro. They are tired of working hard and feeling like they are falling behind.

The economy seems to be strong on paper. When we look at the statistics, we can see that ours is one of the wealthiest countries in Europe. However, the ordinary guy is still struggling. It is ordinary individuals who are beginning to quietly lose hope. They are not complaining, but it seems they are accepting that this is as good as it gets. As a new Senator, I am of the view that this is not the Ireland we should be building. People should be allowed to afford a life of dignity whereby they can plan ahead, plan for kids and give them a sense of security. Something seems to be fundamentally off. We need to stop talking about this matter in House and start dealing with the real pressure points, such as everyday living expenses, fuel costs, which the Government are addressing at the moment, and the hidden costs that are crushing families every day.

Will the Leader bring the relevant Ministers before the House for a straight, honest conversation about the lived reality out there? We are seeing the demographic of those who are appearing at our homeless cafe changing from people who are working but cannot afford rental and food. Right now, for the ordinary person, it feels like a lot of people are being left behind. That is something we cannot ignore in this House.