The Taoiseach has again ruled out a specific cost of living package in the next budget but promised that Government would seek to reduce cost pressures on families.
Micheál Martin said the coalition would do what it could to alleviate the cost of living through social protection payments and taxation changes.
People are working hard but they are being hit with rising costs from all sides, the Sinn Féin Leader Mary Lou McDonald told the Dáil.
Everything except people's income is going up, she said as she urged Government to introduce a cost of living package similar to previous years.
"At the same time as you ruled out help for ordinary people, you had no problem whatsoever delivering big pay hikes for your raft of junior ministers," she said.
The Taoiseach insisted that no other Government in the EU provided more exceptional one-off payments.
More than €7 billion was made available for temporary expenditure and €9.9 billion in on going changes around taxation which will benefit households, he said.
Mr Martin added that consumer price inflation has eased significantly but he said the Government is conscious that the price level remains elevated.
