Maureen O'Sullivan (Dublin Central, Independent) | Oireachtas source

I admit to not having much experience of south-east Asia but I have experience of countries in Africa. From my visits there, I know they are keen to do business with Ireland. The witnesses referred to the goodwill in the south-east Asia area, which is similar in Africa. One of the reasons is their respect for Ireland and their expectation that, when we do business, it will be in an ethical way rather than an exploitative way. There are grave issues of tax justice. A recent report showed that illicit tax flows from Africa amounts to between $50 billion and $60 billion annually. What is the commitment, on the part of Irish businesses doing business in south-east Asia, to doing business in a fully transparent way, to a register of owners and to country-by-country reporting?

Deputy Brendan Smith referred to human rights issues and some of the countries the witnesses hope to do business in carry out severe abuses of human rights. This morning, Indonesia used the death penalty against ten people caught trafficking drugs. I am not condoning drug trafficking but using the death penalty in that instance was barbaric.

We know the issues in Myanmar with certain ethnic groups and Laos is the poorest country in the region. It is open to exploitation by people. The witnesses are driven by profit and I am not saying anything against that. However, for Ireland to have a respectful and respectable position, we must be conscious of it.

I was at a meeting with a group from Colombia yesterday. Other free trade agreements have been disastrous because big businesses have come in, resulting in serious land displacement and land grab. Land that was used for food to feed the population was taken over for the profit of multinationals. Colombia was a major exporter of coffee but is now importing coffee. I am not saying that the witnesses should shout from the rooftops about human rights but, in our own way and in an Irish way, we can make these points forcibly and contribute to a better standard of living in those countries.

Another aspect is gender equality. Women are the poorest paid, most vulnerable and most easily exploited. I am interested in the response of the witnesses to these points about tax and human rights.