Noonan defends 26.3% GDP growth figure - but won’t use it to plan Budget

Finance Minister Michael Noonan has said that the Central Statistics Office calculates growth figures for the Irish economy the same was as other European economies - but the latest figures won't be taken into account for the next Budget.

CSO figures released this week showed GDP growth of 26.3% in 2015, more than three times the rate of 7.8% that was estimated in March.