Government must 'stop people freezing to death' in winter if Iran war continues, groups warn

Also, public expenditure minister Jack Chambers received Cabinet approval to introduce stricter spending controls to tackle department overruns

Oil tankers sit at anchor in the Strait of Hormuz at the beginning of May. Picture: Amirhosein Khorgooi/ISNA via AP

The Government must prevent “people freezing to death” next winter if the conflict in the Middle East continues, even if this means borrowing money, a committee has been told.

At a meeting of the Oireachtas Budgetary Oversight Committee, TDs and Senators were warned that there will be a “very big rise in consumer prices and unemployment” if the Strait of Hormuz does not reopen.