Oireachtas Joint and Select Committees

Wednesday, 1 December 2021

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform, and Taoiseach

Review of EU Economic Governance Framework: Dr. Dirk Ehnts

Photo of Bernard DurkanBernard Durkan (Kildare North, Fine Gael)
Link to this: Individually | In context | Oireachtas source

Given that we in this country have an inflation rate above what we expected, the sustainability of that inflation needs to be carefully watched. I was one of the people who put down numerous questions on inflation and the potential destabilising effect it could have on the economy before the financial crash. All the information I got back that was to the effect that everything was fine and there was no problem. Only one question in Parliament in that period resulted in a factual response which raised the red flag to the effect that this was a serious situation. The late J. K. Galbraith used to say that in the event of governments having to reflate the economy or introduce measures to support the economy, there was a need for measures to calm it down, namely, price controls and structures to calm it down.

How does Dr. Ehnts feel about that?