Bernard Durkan (Kildare North, Fine Gael)

I require clarification on a point. Given the substantial amount of money accruing from Financial Resolution No. 2, will it have any negative impact on, for example, United States, German, other European or non-European companies operating here? If so, can the Taoiseach quantify precisely what that impact will be? I ask that question because there seems to be a large and increasing amount of money involved. It could be that the estimate in this case is on the conservative side, as was the case with some of the Department of Finance's estimates in the past. We might have learned by this time next year that the amount of the money involved is much more substantial.

I am particularly concerned about the many US companies which have invested here and provide significant employment. I would like the Taoiseach to tell the House whether this proposal will affect in a negative way companies of that nature which have further and ongoing investment plans. If so, has that impact been examined? To what extent will such companies be affected? There are many investors, including Wyeth, Hewlett-Packard and Intel, offering substantial employment in my area. They are all good employers which pay well. Will this proposal impact negatively on such companies' management personnel, who might not be domiciled here? Such people might be on loan from a parent company outside the State, for example. I am also concerned about employees who are domiciled here, but spend part of their time in other countries, such as the United States, Germany or Israel, where some of the multinational corporations in question have subsidiaries. It is important to be able to reassure such investors that this proposal will have no negative impact on them and that it will not offer them any disincentive. We need to be able to tell such people that they will not have to take any restrictive measures as a result of this proposal.

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