Mick Wallace (Wexford, Independent)

The Minister must admit that some companies do funnel money through the country. This is borne out in the figures. The pharmaceutical industry, accounts for 34% of our total exports - which is just short of €57 billion - and employs only 2.6% of our workforce, which works out at €1.2 million per worker of export sales. If this were a reality, it would be magnificent. It would mean our workers were super human. The three largest multinationals here, Johnson & Johnson, Microsoft and Google export €24 billion between them but only employ 0.3% of our workforce. I welcome that they are creating employment here.

The Government continually says that the creation of jobs and tackling unemployment is its priority. The Minister must admit that until the Government addresses the problems of the domestic economy, wherein most people, 68% in SMEs alone, are employed there will be no resolution of the unemployment crisis. There are huge problems to be addressed. Things have not really improved much. Deputy Tóibín mentioned the Government received legal advice to the effect it could not touch upward-only rents, despite its promise to do so, because of contract law. I know the banks do not want upward-only rents to be touched because most commercial rents are now going directly to the banks. Will the Government consider the introduction of a special tax on upward-only rents that would allow the moneys in question to work their way back to the tenants who are affected by such rents? That might help to keep the tenants' companies alive.

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