Mr. Ian Talbot:

They have a sense of frustration because they know there are people out there who have money but will not spend it. Equally, there are people who do not have it and therefore cannot spend it. There is a huge confidence issue. The fear factor associated with the abolition of town councils is another huge issue for businesses in Letterkenny and a number of other towns throughout the country. They are worried about what they will be left with in terms of services. In cases where the county rate is currently higher than the town council rate, they do not know what balance will be struck and what rates they will be paying. Those were the big issues that were coming through in Letterkenny yesterday. I noticed a glimmer of hope that I had not seen in the last three or four years. People are starting to say they think the economy is a little better than it was. They are still nervous because anything could disrupt it again. There has been more stability in recent months. We are getting similar messages-----