Arthur Spring (Kerry North-West Limerick, Labour) | Oireachtas source

I welcome the advisory council here today. It is very beneficial for us to see that the council is conducting a critical analysis of the progress of the country, but that it is doing so in a conservative fashion. It is important for us to remind people that is the council's job. Other organisations, particularly financial institutions, are adept at conducting aggressive financial modelling.

The overarching question is when will austerity end. Many people take a simplified view and believe it will take approximately ten years before the country rights itself. We are trying to get to a position of prosperity, the opposite of austerity. However, we need a level of hope and a particular timeframe that will give people the confidence that we will attack this problem and overcome it. The question is quite general, but people would like to know when the council thinks austerity will come to an end and prosperity will return.