Vol. 498 No. 4
3 Mr. Higgins (Mayo) asked the Taoiseach if the Central Statistics Office has been informed by EUROSTAT of the updated GDP statistics for the counties or regions of Ireland; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [24862/98]
Estimates of GDP per capita for the EU and its regions, expressed in purchasing power parities — PPPs — to allow for differences in price levels between member states, were received by the Central Statistics Office from EUROSTAT by e-mail on Wednesday afternoon, 18 November.
These estimates incorporate the latest data supplied by the member states. They showed that Ireland was at 95 per cent of the EU average over the period 1994-6. The conversion of the Irish Estimates to a PPP basis is still the subject of discussion with EUROSTAT regarding some technical issues. However, any resulting amendment is likely to be of a relatively minor nature, probably amounting to no more than 1 per cent.
Will the figures produced by EUROSTAT affect our application for Objective One status for the various counties, particularly in the Border region? Will they form the basis on which decisions will be taken at European level as regards Objective One status?
Provisional accounts for 1996 together with amended details for 1994-5 were provided to EUROSTAT in October by the CSO for the calculation of regional comparisons. The recent EUROSTAT results show that overall Ireland was at 95 per cent of the EU average over the period. These are the figures which are taken into account by EUROSTAT in the Objective One decision-making process.
Is the Minister saying the Central Statistics Office supplied these figures to EUROSTAT, prior to the Government taking a decision to seek Objective One status for various regions? Surely the Government must have been aware of the break-down of the regional figures before making its submission.
These are provisional results for 1996 which are supplied in a routine manner. There were amended details for 1994 and 1995. These were provided to EUROSTAT in October for the purpose of regional comparisons in the EU. That is a routine practice. On the basis of the figures supplied by EUROSTAT, the combined Border, west and midland regions would be 72.3 per cent of the EU average. The western seaboard, which includes Clare and Kerry, would bring the figure to 73.3 per cent.
Will the Minister of State indicate whether the EUROSTAT e-mail gave a break-down of the Irish figures on the basis of the eight existing regions and, if so, will he provide the information for each of the eight regions? Given that the CSO provided information to EUROSTAT, did it provide county by county statistics and, if so, are they the same statistics which the CSO subsequently said were unreliable?
The CSO does not provide statistics county by county. On the figures produced recently this was an exceptional measure. My information is that it did not supply those.
Has the Minister of State information on the eight existing regions?
Statistics were produced on that basis for the eight regions and published on Friday, 27 November. The statistics were based on the eight existing regions.
Will the Minister of State make those statistics available to the House?
The figure for Ireland is 95 per cent of the EU average; for the Border region it is 76 per cent; for Dublin it is 122 per cent; for the mid-eastern region it is 79 per cent; for the midlands it is 66 per cent, for the mid-west it is 88 per cent; for the south east it is 87 per cent; for the south west it is 102 per cent and for the west it is 71 per cent.
It is extraordinary that the CSO does not provide figures on a county by county basis. How could EUROSTAT arrive at county by county figures if the Central Statistics Office does not supply such data? Surely the CSO has such information available to it.
A later question deals with that matter. In general the CSO does not calculate GDP figures for each county. However, there was a recent exception to this which was prompted by a parliamentary question. The CSO usually carries out its research in this area on a regional basis.
The Minister of State indicated that the figure for Dublin is 122 per cent of the EU average. Do the EUROSTAT figures take account of the local development areas? The figures for certain parts of Dublin are high but in other parts of the city, which are designated as disadvantaged areas on foot of criteria used by the Government and approved by the European Union, per capita incomes are low. Do the EUROSTAT statistics for Dublin contain a breakdown based, for example, on the local development partnership areas?
As far as I am aware, there is no such breakdown. However, I will check that for the Deputy. I understand that the figures are based on the region. The CSO has made it consistently clear that, in terms of GDP, the figures become unreliable below sub-regional level.
Will the Minister forward that information to me if it becomes available to him?
Yes. However, as far as I am aware, no such information exists.
Did the Minister of State indicate that EUROSTAT provided its figures on a country-wide basis, on the basis of the eight regions and also on a county by county basis?
EUROSTAT only provided them on a regional basis.
Will the Minister indicate the gross value added figure? I understand the Commission will be basing its decision on regional funding on this figure. Was the GVA figure included in EUROSTAT's data?
I do not have the GVA figures in my possession. However, I understand that they are comparable and of the same order.
The problem is that certain incomes and subsidies are counted in the GDP figure which are not included in the GVA figure and vice versa. The GVA figure for the Dublin region is substantially less than the 122 per cent figure for GDP and in the Border area this figure is substantially higher for a range of reasons. This highlights the gross inadequacy of using this measurement for different regions and counties.
I take the Deputy's point. Question No. 11 asks whether subsidies are included in the per capita GDP for the six counties, etc., and I will provide more information when we come to that question.
Given that the Government supplied EUROSTAT with data which was collected on a regional basis, how can the Government make its application for Objective One status on a county by county basis? If the figures for the three administrative areas in Cork were supplied to Brussels, it would become apparent why south-west Cork was excluded and Kerry included. Cork and Kerry have always been grouped for tourism funding purposes. They have been partitioned by the Government.
This question is statistical. The statistics are compiled region by region.
That is a naive answer.
Statistics never lie.
