Michael McGrath (Cork South Central, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

I join the Chairman in congratulating the Minister of State and wishing him well in his new role. The matter before us is fairly straightforward but I would like to ask a couple of questions nonetheless. The Minister of State referred to the fact that there are a number of key jurisdictions with which we do not have DTAs. Will he provide examples of countries with which we do a significant amount of trade but with which we do not have double taxation agreements? Will the Minister of State also indicate whether, in general, such agreements are bespoke in nature? I accept that they run along the standard lines of the OECD template but to what extent must they be tailored to individual jurisdictions? One of the issues highlighted in the BEPS deliverables report issued by the OECD last week is the need for a single international legal agreement. Essentially, such an agreement would change certain elements of bilateral double taxation arrangements. Is the Minister of State in a position to provide an indication with regard to when this will take effect in the context of Ireland's negotiations to enter into double taxation agreements with other countries?