Seán Fleming (Laois, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

I want to make one observation to Mr. McCarthy. It is not a response, but I will make it seeing as it was mentioned that he chairs a group dealing with some of the fiscal rules at EU level. There would be a concern in some countries - I am not saying it is a unanimous view - that the fiscal rules and this drive to be off-balance sheet to keep within the fiscal rules is resulting in what I would call social engineering.

It is having a serious social engineering effect because of the issue with building houses. We had a financial crash, the banks went bust and some people have large mortgages. We are very quickly moving from a position where 80% of Irish people owned their own houses in one generation to being lucky if 20% of the next generation will own their homes. That is what happens at European level. The attitude to that is so be it, but in the way that Irish people live their lives that represents social engineering in Ireland.

Does the way society operates in various countries come within the financial strictures of Mr. McCarthy's work at EU level? I know that is not exactly the reason that Mr. McCarthy is at this meeting. I accept that he may not agree with that viewpoint, but would he accept that it is a point of view?