Read the following article from BreakingNews.ie about Ireland’s economic growth at the end of 2015. Answer the accompanying questions.
IRISH ECONOMY IS FASTEST GROWING IN EU
Ireland’s economy is continuing to punch in the fastest growth rates in the Europe Union.
The value of goods and services grew by 7% over the last year, making Ireland the best performing country in the bloc – seven years after collapsing in a devastating recession.
Finance Minister Michael Noonan said the report shows the recovery is broadly based. ‘Today’s figures are once again very strong and provide further confirmation that economic recovery is now firmly embedded,’ he said…
1. Michael Noonan was the Minister for Finance when this article was written. Who is the current Minister for Finance?
Mr Noonan cautioned that more work is needed to cement the recovery. ‘Strong economic growth has resulted in job creation and a sharp fall in unemployment, which has declined by over six percentage points since its peak to 8.9% at present,’ he said.
2. What was the impact of Ireland’s economic growth?
