Paschal Donohoe (Dublin Central, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

If I was to participate in anything which had the immediate effect of risking the loss of Irish jobs, the first party that would condemn me would be Sinn Féin. Deputy Pearse Doherty spoke about my responsibilities. I have outlined the responsibilities I have and which Deputy Michael Noonan had before me. I have to ensure we change the tax code in a way that is compliant and consistent with the evolving international consensus. We have done so and will continue to do so. Deputy Pearse Doherty can point to the role he played in that debate, but the then Minister, Deputy Michael Noonan, recognised the need in key areas and made the changes at a time when there was a risk that they could undermine Irish jobs and the contribution corporation tax receipts made in funding public services.

For the Deputy to come in here and suggest the previous Minister made those changes because of the role of the Sinn Féin Party in the debate that took place ill serves the contribution Deputy Noonan made to putting in place the foundations for the reforms that are needed in regard to corporation tax, changes that were acknowledged this morning by the OECD. We are a small open economy and changes like these can, of course, have a significant effect on the economic fortunes of our country. The then Minister, Deputy Noonan, through the changes he made in respect of stateless companies and the double Irish arrangement, which were touched on by other speakers, began the process of change that was needed and which he proceeded to implement in regard to corporation tax. Nobody should be under any doubt that if I went ahead and did things which undermined the predictability and competitiveness of the Irish corporation tax model, which has played a valuable role in creating Irish jobs, one of the first parties to condemn me for doing so would be Sinn Féin, led by Deputy Doherty. The agenda I need to deliver now and in the coming years requires implementing the changes that are needed to ensure our business and tax models meet the expectations and requirements that are there from an OECD perspective and elsewhere while at the same time ensuring the competitiveness of our country is not undermined in a changing Europe and a changing world. That is the complexity I look forward to managing in the time ahead.

Deputy Burton used the phrase "among the worst".