Bernard Durkan (Kildare North, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I welcome the witnesses to the committee meeting. I note their criticism of the budget, which is unfair and unwarranted. That is my opinion.

Some commentators in Europe have raised the question of whether the continued hikes in interest rates, which have, thankfully, slowed down, possibly contributed to inflation. Although the purpose of the exercise was to slow inflation, it is contended in some quarters that, after a certain period, it becomes self defeating and that it contributed to inflation rather than curtailed it.