Mr. Pádraig Dalton:

I want to be a little bit nuanced. What I would say is GDP and GNP do not provide useful insights into what is happening in the domestic economy. GDP and GNP are the international standards on the performance of the economy as a whole. As somebody described it one day, GDP and GNP accurately reflect the Irish economy but they do not give much insight into what is happening in the Irish economy. This is a slight nuance but it is quite important. It is important that we all recognise that as things stand, GDP and GNP are just two of the international standards, but the CSO must continue to compile GDP and GNP in accordance with the standards. We absolutely recognise the need to move beyond GDP and GNP. We are working in this direction and the expert group will help us in this realm.