Economic recession - Dáil debate should be encouraged

For the first time since 1983, the Irish economy is in recession, according to the latest figures published by the Central Statistics Office (CSO).

Gross domestic product (GDP), which measures the value of goods and services produced in the country, fell by 0.8% during the second three months of 2008. This is the second quarterly drop in a row, so the Irish economy has become the first economy in the eurozone to go into recession in the current downturn.

The first sign of the recession was in the construction industry.