Mary White (Carlow-Kilkenny, Green Party)

——when it alludes to Irish export rates falling below peer countries. I remind the Opposition that the rate of exports continues to grow. It was 7% for the first half of this year compared with an average of 5.2% between 2000 and 2006. Two weeks ago I noticed one of the Sunday newspapers had two pages in its main section with the banner "Financial Apocalypse". For all the talk of economic decline and Armageddon, we have virtually full employment, lower unemployment than in the US or the OECD average and, to the disappointment of many foreboders in this country, there was a decrease in the seasonally adjusted unemployment rate between the second and third quarters of this year.

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