Norma Foley (Kerry, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

I welcome the witnesses and thank them for their presentations, and, indeed, their paper.

It is widely acknowledged that 26% of our workforce is currently unemployed or on pandemic unemployment supports of some type or other. From its paper, I gather that the IFAC has three scenarios developed: mild, which would be where conditions improve rapidly and there would be minimum impact; a central scenario, where the confinement measures ease but there is a lasting impact; and severe, where there would be repeated lockdowns and wider financial distress as a consequence. Is it Mr. Barnes's view, based on this discussion and discussions outside this Chamber, that contingent on how the economy will develop and reboot over the next number of months and years, aside from what he calls financial stimulus which I will discuss later, is the health management and the confidence that we as members of the public will express in our local and, indeed, national economy? If we do not manage the health aspect of this crisis well enough, we will be looking at the third scenario of repeated lockdowns, a significant financial impact, etc. Equally, if we as members of the public do not express enough confidence to go to the local hotel, restaurants, pubs or whatever the case might be, then the economy will lose. Does Mr. Barnes agree with the importance of health management and behavioural economics - confidence of the public - and how best does one get that message out? That message is not getting out there and we as members of the public have a proactive role to play in the rebooting of the economy aside from the financial stimulus.