In addition, a considerable infrastructural deficit has emerged which has implications not just for economic development but for the quality of life in Ireland. With Ireland’s participation in EMU, monetary policy cannot be used to deal with these developments. I will return to these issues later.
Recent Indicators of Economic Performance a 1994  1995  1996  1997  1998  1999  2000 (f) c  6.3  8.2  7.4  9.3  7.8  7.8  8½  6.0  7.7  6.6  8.3  6.6  6.7  7¼  3.2  5.0  3.6  3.9  6.8  6.3  4¾  14.7  12.2  11.9  10.3  7.8  5.6  4½  Inflation (CPI)  2.4  2.5  1.6  1.5  2.4  1.6  5½  Exports/GNP  78.8  86.3  87.6  90.7  98.9  102.4  107.0  General Gov.