"If people make an effort they can save a lot of money."
Seán Fleming, Junior Minister of State at the Department of Finance, has said that the public should cease complaining about the rising cost of living in Ireland, as well as the Government's response to it.
Furthermore, he has argued that Irish people should 'shop around' in a bid to improve their general overall financial situation.
Speaking on RTÉ Radio 1's
Drivetime programme on Monday (7 February), Fleming began by playing down the level of severity associated with the rising cost of living.
Asked by host Sarah McInerney if it represents the biggest threat currently faced by Government, he responded:
"There's a number of difficulties facing Government. If I was on two weeks ago, you've have said [it was] Covid. If I was on last week, you'd have said housing is the biggest threat. And this week, it's the cost of living.
"The Government has lots of serious threats that we have to manage as best we can," he continued.
"This is very much in the air now in the last couple of months because inflation has gone up because of the rising price of gas and fuels."
Asked if people should 'brace themselves for pain' regarding the steady rise in the cost of living throughout Ireland, Fleming urged them to look around for a better deal.
"The main advice I would like your listeners to hear today – and it's so simple, people will get bored hearing it – is switch everything. Switch your electricity supplier and you'll get a reduced rate, switch your gas supplier, switch whoever who get your home heating [from], switch the shop or supermarket you do your weekly shopping in.
"You might find there's €20 or €30 difference in another place. Switch your insurance companies and switch your bank and your mortgage rates. All of those items, every one of them individually will save you hundreds of euro per year.
"It takes effort to shop and switch," Fleming continued.
"If people make an effort they can save a lot of money. People will tell you they've changed insurance companies, they've changed the supermarket they go to, they've changed their electricity supplier.
"Rather than just complaining and 'What's the Government going to do for me?', you can actually have a serious impact on your own finance – but it involves people having to do some work themselves."
Pressed on his methodology, Fleming insisted he isn't suggesting people should "stop complaining" about the Government, rather that his alternative approach represents a better option.
Asked if his attitude is out of touch, he said:
"Don't do as I say – do as I do. I do the weekly shopping in my house for a long period of time and I know the prices in the supermarket and I know the supermarket that offers different things at better prices.
"I've shopped around for my insurance. I've shopped around for my health insurance. It does take time and effort and if people put in time and effort, they can actually get reductions."
Fleming then stated, when prompted, that his net salary is around €1,000 per week.
Labour TD Ged Nash is among those in opposition scoffing at Fleming's hypothesis, suggesting that the public may well want to consider their respective options come election time.
"This really is something else, and from a Junior Minister for Finance, too." wrote Nash on
Twitter.
"Energy and fuel bills up by over 30% and his solution is stop 'complaining' and shop around?
"At this rate, there'll be a lot of Fianna Fáil voters shopping around for better value at the next election."
Featured Image via Leah Farrell / RollingNews.ie
