Michael Noonan (Limerick City, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

The Commission did not include the €13 billion in its decision. The €13 billion was the estimate it gave when it were describing what had happened. It included a method of calculation on the primary case. In the work that has been conducted to date by the Revenue Commissioners and in sharing the information with the Department, I understand there is no strong reason to disagree that it will not land at €13 billion or thereabouts. It is a ballpark figure. I will read the Deputy the note.

The recovery sums represent what, in the European Commission's view, is the amount of additional tax that would have been paid over the past ten years had Ireland applied the European's Commission's referred methodology. The recovery sum also applies interest to those amounts.

The Commission decision sets out its supporting rationale and the basis for making this calculation. However, there is no such figure in the final decision and instead Ireland is required to calculate the sums on the basis of the methodology set out in the decision. The work has been ongoing since September 2016 in co-operation with the Commission and Apple but so far my officials have not indicated to me that it will seriously over-run the €13 billion or come seriously short of it. There are other years to be assessed.