The Best Comment & Opinion in Kilkenny

Other adjustments being made to lifestyles include eating out less and buying more own-brand products, according to a survey conducted by iReach Insights on behalf of Aviva that polled 1,000 people nationwide.

e increased cost of the weekly food shop is the most common impact for 77%.

And it is a greater concern for women than for men.

e next biggest concern is energy bills, followed by the increased price of products and services that are bought regularly, and then transport costs.

But food costs dominate the concerns of households at the moment.

Figures published by the European Commission in June con rmed that prices in Ireland are among the most expensive for goods and services. Overall prices here are some 46% above the EU average.

e report also revealed Ireland was the fourth most expensive country in the EU for food and non-alcoholic beverages last year. Food and soft drinks prices here are 15% above the EU average.

Meanwhile, grocery prices continue to rise. ey are going up at three times the general rate of in ation, as measured by the EU harmonised consumer price index.

Latest research from compa- ny Kantar reveals that grocery in ation rose by almost 15% in the 12 weeks to July 9. e average annual increase to household spending in the past 12 months now stands at €427, Kantar said.

However, many households report having to pay even more for their groceries due to surging prices.

Children’s allowance may be increased

An increase in the €140 monthly child bene t payment has been put on the table in coalition talks on the Budget. e possibility of increasing the core rate, which is paid in respect of 1.2 million children across the country, has been discussed as an option.

Unrecycled waste cost to rise

Getting rid of unrecycled household and commercial waste is to become more expensive next month.

A new levy of €10 a tonne comes into e ect on September 1 and will apply to all municipal waste that is not recycled.

A levy of €75 a tonne already applies if it goes to land ll and that charge is set to rise to €85.

We are tops for remote working!

Ireland ranks rst in the EU for the speed at which countries have adapted to remote working. Working from home became the norm for many during the Covid pandemic, and now Ireland has more than three times as many people habitually working from home as it did in 2019, according to Eurostat gures for 2022.

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Young have no homes to go to

Is it any wonder that young adults are of the opinion that they may be much older before it becomes feasible to purchase their own home – or even will not be able at all in the future. More than one-in-four young adults aged 25-34 in Ireland remained living with parents and Ireland saw the largest rise in this share in the intervening time.

John Ellis Page 16

PAUL HOPKINS

Telling it like it is. And with no holds barred

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