Catherine Murphy (Kildare North, Social Democrats) | Oireachtas source

I will revert directly to the Minister on that issue.

Deputy Howlin raised the issue of a unified Europe-wide approach. That does not necessarily involve countries taking an individual approach but, rather, having the same approach across the European Union. All Members are paying great attention to the matters currently under discussion at European level. There have been several very interesting proposals, including the Spanish proposal which I raised with the Taoiseach last week in the House. It seems to be a very good idea.

I wish to ask about the metrics or variables that might be used by the European Commission. I accept that the countries that are most impacted should get the lion's share of support. The metrics that are used are important for our economy because we really have two economies here. We have the domestic economy and we have the economy that multinationals would inhabit, to a greater degree. Indeed, the technology and pharmaceutical sectors may do very well during this crisis. Does the Minister know what metrics will be used? Will it be GDP or GNI? What will the European Commission be looking at when considering the impact on our economy, particularly in the context of grants?

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