Mr. John Trethowan:

I agree with Deputy Boyd Barrett that there must be a starting point in the process of getting the whole thing going. If one is in business and wants to invest, one would want to see a return on the capital. That would come from demand in the marketplace. That will require some confidence in the future. From the soundings I have taken on business and the economy, the emergence of a start on investment is beginning, but it is not at domestic level. It is at corporate level. People are seeing value in Ireland and are starting to invest here. When the consumer starts to spend money and helps the SME in the high street in Tullamore and Donegal, we will see the turnaround.