Bernard Durkan (Kildare North, Fine Gael)

How many times have the constituent items which make up the CPI been altered in the past 20 years? Is it not the case, for example, that house prices were included at one time but were subsequently removed? The items causing inflation which are not included in the CPI, such as the house prices referred to by Deputy Joe Higgins, are nonetheless major contributory factors in determining the actual level of inflation. Would it not be more realistic to make the CPI more reflective of the actual inflationary tendencies and the items that cause those tendencies in the economy?

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