Taoiseach Micheál Martin has said the return of energy credits is unlikely when the Government delivers its second budget next month.

Speaking at his party’s think-in in Tullamore, Co Offaly on Monday morning, the Fianna Fáil leader did not completely rule out the return of some one-off payments in the budget.

However, he said that any such measures would reduce the capacity of the Government to fund other areas, citing childcare and the cost of disability.

“We want to reduce the cost of childcare. The more you put into one-off payments, the less you have to reduce childcare costs,” he said.

“Every time you do a one-off payment by say €1 billion or €2 billion, you reduce your capacity to deal more substantively with issues that mater to people on an ongoing basis … so energy credits for everybody – I can’t see the capacity being there to do that,” he told reporters.

Martin said that the Government wants to use the budget “to ease cost of living pressures on people”, suggesting that would be a feature of both the tax and expenditure sides of the package.

He said that changes proposed by Minister for Justice Jim O’Callaghan which tighten the requirements for citizenship would be considered by the Government this week but praised changes already made to the rules on immigration.

“We have a firmer and more robust migration system now,” Martin said.

“And the numbers of those seeking asylum have reduced in the last 12 months. In terms of returns all of that is happening efficiently and effectively. The EU asylum pact is working.”

He added that the “costs of accommodation in respect of asylum are also coming down very significantly … So that firmer, more focussed, targeted response is yielding results.”

He said that the status of temporary protection afforded to Ukrainian refugees was “never meant to be a path to citizenship”. He said that many refugees would be needed back in Ukraine after the war.

Asked about his leadership, Martin said the “entire parliamentary party is in unison” behind his leadership and was “focussed on the issues that matter to the people”.

“People want us to focus on the issues that matter to them,” he said.

Fianna Fail TDs, senators and MEPs are gathering in Tullamore for two days for the party’s traditional think-in ahead of the Dáil’s return next week.