Mr. Sebastian Barnes:

It is not easy for economists to know how to do that. I believe the confidence that comes from the fiscal stimulus being sizeable and a strong package will give consumers more money in their pockets and, hopefully, a desire to spend it. That will be particularly true if it is targeted at those who need it most, specifically people who have lost their jobs and sectors that are really suffering. That will help a great deal. Reassuring people that public health is still well managed and they can go out with confidence, as Professor McMahon said, is very important from a behavioural perspective. Having a clear, medium-term fiscal plan, particularly for financial markets, is also important. It is important that these markets have confidence that Ireland is planning, after this extraordinary situation, to get its house back in order and reduce debt from very high levels, which need to be brought back to safer levels once the economy is strong enough.