Short-term measures such as dropping Vat to stimulate the building of houses will not solve the housing crisis, according to economist Seamus Coffey.

University College Cork economist Seamus Coffey, 39, has been appointed as the head of the Irish Fiscal Advisory Council by Finance Minister Michael Noonan.

The economy of Cork and the South West is not growing as fast as Dublin, “but is growing nonetheless”, economist Seamus Coffey has told a business gathering.