Bernard Durkan (Kildare North, Fine Gael)
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I listened with interest to the Chairperson's questions and I am learning as time goes by. I should mention that in quite a number of debates between 2011 and 2014, I had to apologise to all economists for what I was about to say about them regarding their predictions in previous years. I am not going to do that just now since we have had that experience, but I will ask a couple of related questions. Does IFAC accept that housing prices, housing costs and the availability of affordable housing are part of our taxation system? I believe they were and are because they create a situation whereby members of the workforce can plan ahead in the clear knowledge that they can afford to house themselves as time goes by. Does IFAC take house price inflation into account, for instance? To what extent does that impact on its projections? I have two or three other lovely questions and the witnesses will enjoy all of them.