Action on drink prices and an information campaign to publicise petrol and other prices are expected to be announced after the Cabinet meeting today.

Ministers - at their last meeting before the summer recess - will debate a broad package of measures to tackle inflation. On the agenda are price controls and price monitoring for alcohol. The exact mechanism has not been worked out and will be considered today.

However, it is likely that either a price freeze or order will be implemented. Price monitoring will also be part of the package.

Other measures to increase competition will be debated, with a technical adjustment to the Intoxicating Liquor Bill likely in a bid to make it easier to get pub licenses.

Significant resources will also be pledged to the Competition Authority and the Office of the Director of Consumer Affairs. An education and awareness programme will be put in place for many goods, including petrol prices, with a possibility that prices will have to be advertised per gallon rather than per litre.

The Government will also be calling in particular groups including retailers, supermarkets and financial services. All will be asked to take a strategic view on the Programme for Prosperity and Fairness when considering increases.

It is likely that a proposal to repeal the groceries order which bans below cost selling, will probably be left to one side for the moment but may be implemented later rather than as part of an inflation package. Its abolition is strongly opposed by the Irish Business and Employers Confederation.

Other proposals to increase the subsidy to CIE and to find new childcare places are also being examined.

However, boosting the subsidy to CIE to cut transport costs may not have the impact that the Government would have wanted. The proposal on childcare is merely to speed up the implementation of the recent announcement on new places.

Fine Gael deputy Ms Frances FitzGerald said yesterday that the Government must take immediate action to make up for the loss of childcare places resulting from inspections under the provisions of the Child Care Act.

She added that 4,000 places have been lost since the introduction of the legislation. "Such a drop is a cause for immediate concern and it is incumbent on the Government to make up these places.