Oireachtas Joint and Select Committees

Wednesday, 24 November 2021

Committee on Budgetary Oversight

Inflation: Discussion (resumed)

Photo of Neasa HouriganNeasa Hourigan (Dublin Central, Green Party)
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If any of the Deputies present would like to come back in for a second round, please raise your hand.

I have some questions of my own. During the previous two sessions on inflation, we heard that the expectation that this inflation will last for a short period. Hopefully, it will ease over the next year. However, we are all mindful that the pandemic is unprecedented and we are really not sure how it will play out. I am interested in the Central Bank's longer paper on the aspects that could impact inflation in the longer term. I particularly wanted to ask about reshoring or the shortening of the length of supply chain, partly because often in my area of politics, we talk about local supply chains and community wealth. Could the witnesses expand on the downsides, possible threats to reshoring or disruption and changes to supply chains and the impact of this in the longer term? Is it a consideration or worry that is being raised regularly in the Central Bank's conversations with the ECB? I know there have been a number of policy papers or research on whether there should be a move towards reshoring that have covered particular sectors such as medical products. Could the witnesses unpack that for me? Do they see reshoring and that longer supply chain issue as major concerns? Do they believe the EU will move towards any particular policy position on that? I know we have talked about the US and economic protectionism but my question relates more to security of supply chains.