Ms Cora O'Brien:

There has been a spotlight on Ireland in the media. There has generally been a spotlight on corporate tax across the world and almost every day we see articles on tax in the newspapers in many jurisdictions. There have been such articles in Ireland, but there is also a focus on patent boxes and hybrid mismatches. Mr. Pascal Saint-Amans was recently in Australia as part of the G20 and had many strong messages for Australia and developing countries. We are feeling the heat because we see what is close to hand. That is not to say there is no such focus, but there is a focus on the issue everywhere. Our reputation is important to us and something we take seriously. We are involved in the BEPS process which has been designed to examine international rules and make sure they are up to date. As I said, these rules have become outdated and there is a view in the OECD and the G20 which makes policy and determines the rules under which we operate that they need to be looked at. Some 34 countries are examining them and there will be two years of reports, meetings and actions. There are thousands of pages on tax issues related to the BEPS and they are by no means all related to Ireland. There is a mixture of issues in the pot and sometimes Ireland is feeling the heat and not realising there is also heat in other places. That does not diminish the point made by the Deputy. We have issues, but so do lots of other countries.