Barry Cowen (Laois-Offaly, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

Exactly. That, again, is working to a plan, and to a means by which we have the capacity to make inroads in that regard.

We have seen various measures introduced, twice last year for example, to assist with the cost-of-living and inflation issues. Thankfully, we have had the capacity to make interjections there. The temptation is always to go beyond that. The temptation is always driven by political representation and aspiration, and short-termism on the part of some political aspirants, which is not in the best interests of those who we represent. As I said, the fiscal rules that have been introduced help to ensure that is kept in check.

The moral obligation, from our perspective and those that would be deemed to be the best possible representatives of those who give us the privilege to be here, is to decide on the value of those excesses, and to put a vehicle in place that deals with it into the future, rather than it being used as a nest egg to win elections, which will only cost us a lot more electorally in the long term, as we found out one time too.

I thank the witnesses.