Pearse Doherty (Donegal, Sinn Fein)
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I thank the Minister. I appreciate that. There is some interesting detail in the specific recommendations that are coming forward. It has been stated that access to affordable full-time quality childcare remains a challenge. According to the OECD, in 2015, childcare costs in Ireland relative to wages for single parents were the highest in the EU and for couples were the second highest in the EU. The OECD has also referred to the link between the rate of risk of poverty or social exclusion and the high proportion of people who are living in households with low work intensity. Under the heading of aggressive tax planning, it is suggested that between 2010 and 2015, some 23% of Irish GDP was made up of royalty payments. It is staggering that we have a figure of 23%, given that the European average is 0.34%. It has been suggested that this is a clear indicator that our tax code is being used for aggressive tax planning. Our figure is completely out of line with the European average. Given that so much of our GDP over that period was made up of royalty payments, and bearing in mind the challenges that exist - as I have mentioned, child care costs for single parents are the highest in Europe and for couples are the second highest in Europe, and high levels of people are at risk of poverty and social exclusion - does the Minister think the Government has got the balance right in its budgetary measures of recent years? Is it not the case that our tax code has facilitated aggressive tax planning to the detriment of this country being able to take a leadership role in Europe? The cost of child care is preventing certain families from entering into the workplace and is creating a scenario in which they are at risk of poverty.