Irish republic – the economic numbers PS Dessie and Mary Loo getting cold. – A question for both of you – How are you going to pay welfare and public sector salaries later this year if you reject the IMF/ECB money? Rob the Bank of England?

Financial Crisis
Austerity measures or a reality check: Ireland by numbers
As Ireland’s €85bn (£72.5bn) bailout is approved by the country’s parliament, here are some key facts about Ireland’s economy:

Sinn Fein protestors gathered outside Leinster House as Ireland waited for the budget to be rubber-stamped on Wednesday. Photo: AP
£104.6bn – The size of Ireland’s government debt.
65.5pc – Irish government debt as a percentage of gross domestic product (GDP).
£22.9bn – Ireland’s government deficit.
14.4pc – Irish deficit as a percentage of GDP.
-7.6pc – Real GDP growth in 2009.
13.2pc – Ireland’s unemployment rate.
€7.65 (£6.45) – Ireland’s new minimum wage, set out as part of a four-year national recovery plan. The minimum wage was introduced in 2000, and was set at €5.59. It was increased six times since its introduction and stood 55pc higher than its original level when it rose to €8.65 in July 2007, making it the second-highest minimum wage in Europe at the time.
€4,004 – The new amount Irish workers can earn before paying tax. Workers will now pay 2pc income tax to €10,036, 4pc from €10,036 to €16,016 and 7pc above this level.
Previously, a more complicated system meant PAYE Irish workers could earn €18,300 before paying income tax.
€250,000 – Lenihan’s proposed cap on public sector pay. The Prime Minister’s salary would be cut by a further €14,000, with ministerial pay shaved by another €10,000.
€35,904 – The average annual wage in Ireland.
€46,132.84 – Average earnings of a primary school teacher in 2008.
€17.7bn – The level of social welfare spending in 2008, an increase of 160pc on spending levels in 2000.
59pc – The amount public service pay increased by between 2000 and 2009.
€196 – The current weekly rate of unemployment benefit. Social welfare payments have almost doubled between 2001 and 2009.
66 – The new age at which people will qualify for the state pension – to be introduced in 2014. Plans have also been outlined to increase the age to 67 in 2021, and 68 in 2028.
4.5pc – The number of workers employed in the agricultural industry. Ireland’s service industry employs 75.9pc of the workforce, while industry employs 19.6pc of the country’s workforce.