Piers Doherty

in the media in the last 10 days or so in relation to this issue.

I think it's really, really bizarre that this has come to this head, that, you know, these kind of threats are

latent threats are there of potentially defunding or some type of serious action and that we have the the rotunda and now the department and the minister at loggerheads over the issue of women's health and the question for me is how did it escalate to this point there's been a long negotiation in relation to public only contracts the taxpayer is paying additional money to these consultants because they are public only so therefore the contract has to be dealt with if there is issues that are unique outside of that then those negotiations need to happen and they have to be dealt with

But to actually bring this to this head at this point in time and, you know, not knowing where this is going to go, whether the rotunda backs down, whether the ministers have to go in all guns blazing, it's simply not good.

And it's not good for women who's listened to this.

It's not good for people who's looking at possibly using this service in the next while.

And I think it really needs to be de-escalated.

But the contract is there and the contract has to be dealt with.

If there are things outside of that contract, then they have to, cam heads have to prevail.

People have to get round the table.

But you can't and nobody would accept it if it was any public sector worker working in our local authorities or working in our schools or anywhere that they would be able to breach their contract and do things outside of the contract.

And consultants should be no difference.

They're paid additionally because of that type of contract.

That's always been the case, David.

There's obviously huge risks in relation to the concentration of our corporation tax receipts.

And that's why the government have many years ago developed another measure to measure our economy, which is GNI Star, which strips out the effects of those multinational distortions.

We have to obviously retain and carefully foster the growth of the multinational sector.

It provides very high value jobs and it provides value for tax receipts.

But the GNI Star gives a good indication of what the economy is looking like outside of that type of distortion.

It's really interesting when you actually look at it over the last 10 years that actually the growth in spending in this state hasn't actually grown as a proportion of our real economy, GNI star, over the last 10 years.