Paul Murphy (Dublin South West, Socialist Party) | Oireachtas source

My final question may relate to what we have just been discussing. Many people feel it is something of a paradox that the substantial and impressive headline growth rates that are undoubtedly being achieved are not being felt by the majority of people. That is not just a political statement. In opinion polls, a slight majority of people say they do not feel a recovery. Clearly, some people are feeling a recovery. I am not asking about what that says about the nature of the recovery. Are there things, perhaps in the extent of the GDP growth rates, that explain why this seems to be a recovery that exists among certain sections of the economy, the country or the population but is not felt by a substantial number of people? It is clear that the increase in VAT receipts is real. It can be seen that this shows there is increased money in people's pockets. People are spending. That is real. Most people will accept that there is increased economic activity that can be witnessed. However, I do not think people would have a sense that they are experiencing a growth rate of 6% or higher. Are there things the witnesses can see in the figures that explain the gap between the headline figures and the experience that people actually have?