Oireachtas Joint and Select Committees

Tuesday, 31 May 2016

Committee on Housing and Homelessness

National Treasury Management Agency and Department of Finance

10:30 am

Mr. John Palmer:

On the question of EUROSTAT and what it does, one must remember it is also operating in a Europe-wide environment, so precedents are very important. If this French model flies, then it is a good precedent, we can seek to replicate it and that is excellent. The point about commerce is true as well. We might come up with plans that might just about fly but which EUROSTAT may not be willing to let go forward because of the precedent it would set for other countries. It may be too close to a barrier for EUROSTAT. It is a very complicated environment. We can try things, but ultimately the final decision-making is outside of our control.