Eamon Gilmore (Dún Laoghaire, Labour)

Does the Taoiseach have any plans to meet with President Obama in advance of that or does he plan to talk to him on the telephone in the next few days?

There was talk during the election campaign in the United States about possible changes in the tax regime for American companies investing overseas. The Labour Party shares and will support the approach that I understand the Taoiseach proposes to take in this matter. I wish to explore this a little further. I heard the Taoiseach today, and also heard the Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment, putting emphasis on the significant extent of Irish investment in the United States. The Taoiseach mentioned, and we all suspect it to be the case, that there may have been some election rhetoric in what was said about the taxation issue. One of the issues of concern to me is that US President-elect Obama seemed to have spelled out in some detail his thinking on the taxation regime for companies investing overseas, specifically in the half-hour televised advertisement he did. If he were to proceed along those lines, is the Taoiseach suggesting corresponding measures could be taken here in respect of the taxation regime for companies investing in the United States? Is that the logic of putting the issue on the table?

On the reports published over the weekend indicating that the Government intends to take a more vigorous approach to the inspection by the Garda Síochána of military aircraft and aircraft transporting military personnel through Shannon Airport, I read that it is intended that there will be unannounced inspections of such aircraft. Is it the Government's intention to proceed with this arrangement, as reported at the weekend?

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