Ciarán Lynch (Cork South Central, Labour) | Oireachtas source

I thank Mr. Saint-Amans. I wish to provide Mr. Saint-Amans with an idea as to how we will proceed. I will begin by asking some questions and then each of the main spokespersons of the different parties will have ten minutes in which to make their opening contributions. I understand Mr. Saint-Amans will be with us for a maximum of two hours. On that basis, I will divide the remaining time to ensure that every other member of the committee will be able to engage with him on some level.

Mr. Saint-Amans will be aware that the Irish Government has recently been obliged to respond to media attention in respect of Ireland's perceived role with regard to the structures employed by multinational companies which operate in this country and elsewhere.

There has been a perception that the problem is a global one and that this was created by mismatches or gaps between different countries' domestic systems. Is it best suited for Ireland to deal with these issues in a unilateral fashion in regard to the base erosion profit-shifting mechanism that the OECD is proposing or is that best done on a multilateral basis and dealt with as a multilateral solution? What is Mr. Saint-Amans's view on this issue? Can nations take unilateral positions on this or is a multilateral approach the only one to be taken?