Mr. John McCarthy:

I think the Deputy is right. The broad pharmaceutical-chemical sector operates in a vacuum in the economy. It does not have many links with other sectors. While we did see a reduction in value added and exports, it did not really spill over into lower employment figures. There was some, but it was not like having a large widget factory closing down, which would have had a big impact. As sub-supply into the sector was fairly small, the multiplier effects were weak. It did affect the headline figure, but I think the Deputy is asking whether it overstates the impact. I think that is the case. That is why, for instance, GNP last year is probably a better indicator of what actually went on.