The Public Expenditure Minister says Sean Fleming's heart is in the right place - despite his comments on the cost of living.
The junior minister suggested people should shop around to help reduce their bills instead of complaining about rising costs.
The opposition accused him of being out of touch.
Sean Fleming apologised for the comments and issued a statement last night which said:
"I did not intend to imply people shouldn't complain about the cost of living, that wasn't my intention and for that I apologise.
"I was urging people to also shop around for best value, in addition to the measures being taken by the Government.
"The Government and Fianna Fáil take the issues around the cost of living very seriously. We are taking action to help ease the cost of living pressures many are currently facing.
"I am veryu aware of the cost of living pressures that are currently confronting people and businesses."
While, speaking on his way into a Cabinet meeting this morning, the Public Expenditure Minister Michael McGrath insisted the Government is doing what it can to address the cost of living:
"All of us in public life engage with the media on a regular basis - we don't always find the right words, but I know Sean's heart is in the right place.
"We can't control everything, we can't control international energy prices. But we have some levers and we are going to seek to use a number of those to take some pressure off."
