Cian O'Callaghan (Dublin Bay North, Social Democrats) | Oireachtas source

I thank Mr. Quinlan. It is important that there has been a significant critique of this aspect of the Bill, both from the perspective of the Department of Public Expenditure and Reform and also a significant critique on it in the UK. As we are doing pre-legislative scrutiny, it is very important that we would see the analysis from the Department of Housing, Local Government and Heritage that justifies this measure. It is very important for the committee to see that, so I would request that we could see the analysis. I do not see why there should be commercially sensitive information given that it is a public policy proposal, but if there is then we do not need to see that part of the analysis. The Department should let us see the rest of the analysis.

I wish to ask one final question. It has been said quite a bit today and also elsewhere that the 2019 report from the National Audit Office in the UK states that price inflation is only 1%. That is not my read of that report. On page 34 of the report it talks about the price premium paid by people who availed of the scheme in the UK, but it does not say that price inflation was just 1%. In fact, the report states that price inflation during the scheme from 2013 to December 2018 in England was 41%. Could Mr. Quinlan clarify what part of the report he was referring to in the context of his reference to price inflation being just 1%? I can only see a reference to a price premium of 1%, which is a totally different thing from price inflation.