Liam Twomey (Wexford, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I have a few questions for Professor Barry. What are we gleaning from taxpayers and shareholders in America? Over the years, people have been starting to realise that the figures we are talking about are in billions. As Professor Barry said, there were a few patents around but they were not that valuable. In the grand policy scheme, the State Department saw this as an opportunity for American companies to expand globally. It was like interest-free loans and it served American interests well. They may have been unhappy about it but there was no big issue. However, we are no longer talking about a few hundred million or a couple of billion to help American corporations establish themselves. We are really talking about hundreds of billions that are being secreted away in Cayman Island accounts. It is starting to seep into the common language of ordinary people that big corporations are making huge funds here.

Do we have any information from shareholders? If I was an Apple shareholder I would wonder when I was going to see my money. What are taxpayers coming back with? Is there any talk in the United States about a general amnesty? That is one way of getting huge funds like this.