I wish to set the current economic migration situation in the broader context of the Irish labour market on the whole. From 1997 to 2000, Ireland experienced an unprecedented level of growth in the region of 10%, year on year, in both GNP and GDP. This strong performance has brought about an unprecedented growth in the labour force. In the past five years we have seen our labour force grow by 200,000 to a current figure of 1.85 million, while the numbers employed have grown by 300,000 to a current figure of 1.77 million.