Phil Hogan (Carlow-Kilkenny, Fine Gael)

I acknowledge what the Acting Chairman is trying to achieve and I have no difficulty with it. In respect of all the sheltered and regulated sectors the Minister spoke about, it is interesting he did not dispute the figures I gave. That is because he has failed to do anything to address issues in regard to waste, electricity, gas, IT and legal services, although I acknowledge there has been an improvement in terms of a reduction in insurance costs. According to the Central Bank, inflation is an increasing risk to the economy's export competitiveness with the re-emergence of an inflation differential with the rest of the euro area. Does the Minister disagree with the views expressed in several reports by the National Competitiveness Council, the Department of Finance and the Central Bank or does he believe everything is okay?

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