Government must act on cost-of-living crisis as 22% report deprivation – McGuinness says Waterford families being abandoned

The latest ESRI report showing that over one in five people in Ireland are experiencing deprivation is a stark reminder of the real cost of government inaction — and Waterford is no exception. That’s according to Conor D. McGuinness TD, who said the government can no longer ignore the urgent need for a cost-of-living support package in Budget 2026.

The Sinn Féin TD was responding to the publication of a report by the Economic and Social Research Institute (ESRI), which found that 22% of people have experienced deprivation, with lone-parent families among those most persistently affected.

He said the excuses from Fianna Fáil and Fine Gael were no longer credible, and that the refusal to act was directly harming households in Waterford and across the state.

Conor D. McGuinness TD said:

“Week after week, the evidence piles up. Families struggling to put food on the table, workers behind on rent or energy bills, children going without. And week after week, this government digs in — refusing to deliver a cost-of-living package that could ease the pressure.

“The latest ESRI report makes it clear: 22% of people have experienced deprivation. Among children in lone-parent families, one-third were persistently deprived between 2016 and 2023, with over one in five persistently at risk of poverty.

“This isn’t abstract. This is the lived reality for families in Waterford, where working people are doing their best but falling further behind because this government is sitting on record surpluses and refusing to act.

“We’ve already seen Barnardos report that almost half of parents are in debt to cover school essentials, one in five families have cut back or gone without food, and a third of households are behind on bills.

“Energy poverty has worsened dramatically. Almost 300,000 households are now in arrears on electricity, and 175,000 on gas. That’s an 86,000 increase in just one year.

“Back-to-school costs are also pushing families over the edge, with credit union figures showing that loan applications for school expenses have tripled.

“This government is telling struggling households in Waterford and across the country: you’re on your own. That is shameful.

“This approach is neither acceptable nor sustainable. Sinn Féin has made clear that Budget 2026 must include a meaningful cost-of-living support package. The government must come to its senses and act.”