  We examine the validity of the results obtained with the singularity
confinement integrability criterion in the case of discrete Painlev\'e
equations. The method used is based on the requirement of non-exponential
growth of the homogeneous degree of the iterate of the mapping. We show that
when we start from an integrable autonomous mapping and deautonomise it using
singularity confinement the degrees of growth of the nonautonomous mapping and
of the autonomous one are identical. Thus this low-growth based approach is
compatible with the integrability of the results obtained through singularity
confinement. The origin of the singularity confinement property and its
necessary character for integrability are also analysed.
