Joan Burton (Dublin West, Labour)

I am pleased to hear the Taoiseach defend the rights of workers in an EU context. It is something he has done with distinction throughout his political career.

In regard to the sets of rights of another group of people, there is no direct reference to Tibet in the conclusions but there are indications that during the meeting there was a discussion on Tibet. Does the Taoiseach agree it is important for the European Union to have a strong position on human rights? The Taoiseach referred to the rights of workers and offered to vindicate them, as he has done throughout his career. I refer, however, to the rights of the people of Tibet in the context of the events that have happened recently and the implications for the Government and our participation in a European Union which is committed to the defence of human rights, and which believes that human rights should be upheld no matter where in the world and that they cannot be completely subordinated to the interests of trade.

I heard the Minister for Foreign Affairs speak briefly on the media last night. It seemed he was almost shrugging his shoulders that because China is a great power and a great trading nation it should therefore have the freedom to not have to pay as much attention to human rights issues as perhaps other countries do and as we in Ireland always profess to do.

Why has the Government been so silent on the issue of Tibet and why has it not asked the Chinese Government if it could use its great power and influence in Africa to bring to an end the genocidal conditions that now prevail in the Darfur area? As the Taoiseach is aware, those genocidal conditions apply in particular to women as one of the weapons of the conflict in Darfur is rape. Why is the Government so silent and why has the Taoiseach been able to talk at European Union summits to other European leaders about a collective approach? Nobody wants to see the athletes being deprived of the right to participate in the Olympic Games but, equally, do any of us in the Parliament have the right to stay silent while what is happening in Tibet appears on a daily basis on our television screens?

Is it the case that if the Government stays silent we are seen therefore to condone what is happening in Tibet? I do not think that is so. I hope the Government is concerned. Does the Taoiseach envisage a role for the Government in setting out a forthright position to the Chinese Government, with respect, bearing in mind that we are interested in carrying out trade with China and that there are trade and commercial considerations? As the Irish person at the EU table, does the Taoiseach anticipate urging his fellow EU Heads of State to negotiate with the Chinese to bring an end to what we have seen in Tibet and to ask the Chinese, with respect, to use its influence to bring an end to the genocide that is taking place currently in Darfur?

In the context of the EU referendum, was the Taoiseach surprised by the statement from the French Minister for Finance that in the context of the upcoming French Presidency, which starts in July, she intends to introduce aggressive proposals for changes in the common tax base of the European Union. In particular, I understand that Madame Lagarde proposes that we would change to a consolidated tax base which would include an element of sales by destination, in other words tax would flow to those European countries where the sales take place as opposed to those European countries where production or initiation of the tax transactions take place.

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