I propose to take Questions Nos. 47 and 60 together.
Quarterly Irish economic data can be very volatile and are subject to non-negligible revisions. This was evident once again in the latest Quarterly National Accounts release, which revealed that, on a seasonally adjusted basis, real GDP grew by 1.6 per cent quarter on quarter in Q2 2011 following positive growth of 1.9 per cent in Q1 2011. The previous estimate for the first quarter of 2011 was 1.3 per cent growth.
Given this volatility, my Department's growth forecasts are based on annual rather than quarterly figures. This is in line with the approach of others, including the Central Bank and ESRI. On this basis, my Department's latest forecasts — set out in the Medium-Term Fiscal Statement which was published on 4 November — are for real GDP growth of 1 per cent this year and a contraction of 0.5 per cent in nominal GDP. For the year as a whole, the level of GDP is projected to be €155 billion.