Mr. David Silke:

We looked at four different options. One was to keep the current system in place, the second was to allow the rent pressure zones to fall at the end of the year, the third was to amend the current system and the fourth was to introduce a new type of system. As Mr. Whelan said, all of them had pros and cons. When we assessed them, we felt that amending the current system was the one that was most like to lead to increased supply of rental accommodation. We do not have an exact figure for the likely rate of inflation over the next three to five years.

That will depend on the future schemes as the Government announces them as well as other indicators such as general inflation, demographic changes, demand for private rented sector accommodation and the supply coming on stream. It would be very difficult to predict exactly what inflation in the sector is likely to be over the next three to five years.