Criticism of a high growth rate has been dismissed by the Chief Economic Adviser. A comparison of GDP figures from different series was deemed not valid. This comparison was made between two estimates, one from last year and a more recent one.

The estimates were prepared using different methods and base years. The Chief Economic Adviser explained that the previous figure used an older base year, while the latest data uses a revised base year.

Further details on the GDP methodology change are available, including comments from the Chief Economic Adviser on the revised base year series.