The Government has said that the issues of housing, health reform, the economy, implementing the climate action plan and the cost of living crisis, will remain its key priorities.
Speaking at a post-Cabinet briefing at Farmleigh this evening, Taoiseach Leo Varadkar said that while there are signs that inflation may have peaked, there is a big difference between inflation easing and prices going down.
He said he expects many families will continue to struggle with rising prices over the coming months.
Tánaiste Micheál Martin said there had been a smooth transition of power before Christmas. He said delivery will be the key challenge for Government policies, including housing and the rate of building of new houses will have to be increased.
He said the war in Ukraine is expected to continue and that it will be a significant factor this year. He paid tribute to the generosity of the Irish people in their response.
Mr Martin said Brexit has been a challenge for some years and the Government is determined to do everything it can help the restoration of the institutions in Northern Ireland.
Green Party Leader Eamon Ryan said he wanted to paraphrase Minister Heather Humphreys, who said at Cabinet it was all about "delivery, delivery, delivery".
On the Climate Action Plan, he said the land use review would be a key part of delivery. He said the retrofit programme is on target and the energy transition will be the foundation of Ireland's future economy.
Ukrainian refugee response
The Cabinet has heard that the State will need to buy and convert more buildings to cater for people fleeing the war in Ukraine.
However, the Taoiseach said this will take time to complete with work already under way to build a few hundred modular homes.
The Government is also set to speed up the time taken to process applications for those seeking asylum here.
Leo Varadkar said there is likely to be more robust security introduced at ports and airports to prevent illegal entry into the country.
The Taoiseach said Ireland has provided school places for 14,000 Ukrainian children, adding that there are now over 10,000 Ukrainians employed in Ireland, often filling skills gaps.
Asked about protests planned for outside asylum seeker accommodation centres tomorrow, the Taoiseach said he thought communities should be consulted but it was important "there should be no hatred or racism directed towards anybody in any circumstances".
He said he has no problem with people protesting and debating but protests at places where people live "is crossing a line".
Separately, the Taoiseach promised that there would be "no cliff edge" to cost of living supports for homes and businesses at the end of February.
Additional reporting; Colman O'Sullivan
