Mr. Gary Tobin:

Before Mr. O'Dea answers Deputy McGrath's question, I will make a couple of comments. In response to Deputy McGrath's previous question, we are in contact with the European Commission and we will do our utmost to ensure that the information request exercise is concluded as soon as possible. Deputy McGrath suggested that may put a question over the Irish tax regime. That is a matter of opinion. Commissioner Geoghegan-Quinn said yesterday that the exercise was an opportunity to clear the air, so the matter can be seen in either way.

On how companies interact with government when they are considering locating in Ireland, their primary front-of-house experience is with the IDA. The IDA has been in place for many years. It has its own in-house tax experts. A lot of the initial interaction would take place with the IDA. Sometimes it asks the Department of Finance to meet prospective foreign direct investors coming into Ireland. In such situations, we may outline many things, including the economic outlook for the country. In recent years, we have been explaining the route out of the ongoing external funding programme. We invariably get asked questions about the corporate tax regime, although those tend to be general in nature. That is generally how the Department of Finance interacts.

I hope that is helpful. I wanted to give Deputy McGrath a flavour of what happens. Mr. O'Dea will comment on the revenue aspect.