Máire Devine (Dublin South Central, Sinn Fein)
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I thank the witnesses for the presentation. I have two points to address and will probably comment as well as asking questions. We are all well aware of the transatlantic upheavals, to put it that way, the multinationals and our dependency on pharma, ICT, AerCap, the Googles and Microsofts and so on.

It came home to roost. It was dangled over us in 2016 during the first Trump Administration, and it came home to roost. However, it was not as bad as we thought, or at least we had to be grateful for it not being as draconian as it might have. The witnesses are economists more so than I am. In their view, if the US economy tanks, will the US come back for more? It is not necessarily unreasonable to rule that in, as opposed to ruling it out. That would be a lot more damaging to us. The signs are that it is happening, but it is not quite being felt yet. How damaging would that be?

Dr. Kelly mentioned European integration and more diversification of indigenous firms. There are other markets. There are massive markets out there, including India and China. There have been some trade visits. How important are they, or do witnesses see Europe as the steady-Eddie within the family, so to speak?

According to the opening statement: "Key infrastructure gaps in water, energy, transport and housing are significant constraints on Ireland's medium-term sustainable growth." The prioritisation of investments, the delivery of critical infrastructure and the broadening of the tax base were touched on earlier. The Central Bank of Ireland's quarterly bulletin indicates that house prices and rental inflation in Ireland exceed the European average by at least 20%. Renters make up 78% of the population in my constituency of Dublin South-Central. Is it reasonable to draw a line from this Government's damaging housing policies, along with the cost-of-living increases, to a concerning decrease in employment reported among young adults? That is driving more than 60% of young people to think about legging it and getting out of Ireland because they do not have the capacity to pay these massive rents or to get a mortgage. This includes those in the 40s age bracket. They are spending on big concerts, day-to-day entertainment and what might be called luxuries but they do not see a longer term tie they could have to here. We seem to be losing a highly educated younger generation. Obviously, that will have an impact on pensions and on the population as we age. All of that gauges. It is down to the lack of housing and of infrastructure.