Paula Butterly (Louth, Fine Gael)

I thank the witnesses for the opening statements. I will start by going back to the rent caps, if they do not mind. Naturally enough, my colleagues here will have argued about increasing the rent caps rather than decreasing them to protect the tenant. I cannot remember the country, but is there not a basis for saying that if the cap was removed or increased, then over a relatively short time, you would see rents balancing out as the increase of supply takes place? Is there not an argument to at least remove the cap to get that supply up and running? I believe there is a basis in Austria or Denmark - I cannot remember which - where it was proven that once they removed the cap, supply started to kick in and levelled out. The rent did not actually go through the roof. That is my first question.