Vol. 449 No. 7
45 Mr. T. Kitt asked the Minister for Finance the implications, if any, of recent reports questioning the validity of Ireland's official statistics, particularly those relating to GNP and GDP, for Ireland's position in relation to European Monetary Union. [3785/95]
Official figures for gross domestic product and gross national product are compiled by the Central Statistics Office in accordance with international standards as set out in the European System of National Accounts (ESA) and, in common with other EU member states, are subject to the scrutiny of the European Statistical Office. The Maastricht criteria for the general Government deficit and general Government debt are expressed as a percentage of GDP measured in accordance with these ESA standards. Ireland is one of only two countries in the EU that currently fulfills both of these criteria. I therefore consider that recent controversies concerning the measurement of GNP and GDP have no implications for our eligibility for membership of Economic and-Monetary Union.
