Enda Kenny (Mayo, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I will begin by clearing up some issues for those who have a peculiar view on tax havens. One should never disregard the information provided by the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development, which has set out four key indicators for what constitutes such a haven. The first is having no taxes or only nominal taxes. That does not apply in Ireland. The second is a lack of transparency. The Irish system is statute based and very clear and transparent. The third indicator is an unwillingness to exchange information with the tax administrations of OECD member countries. Not only does Ireland meet the requirements in that regard, we were one of the first signatories, with the United States Government, of an agreement for the sharing of information in this regard. The fourth indicator is an absence of substantial activity.

I do not know whether either of the two gentlemen opposite has ever been in a multinational facility in the country or whether they have ever met the men and women of their own constituencies who work in these facilities. I do not know whether they have ever spoken to them about their conditions and the wages that they draw week after week and the productivity that they achieve for the companies which are very happy to site here because of Ireland's extraordinary capacity to meet the challenges internationally. This has been our best year for foreign direct investment and for exports. Ireland does not meet any of the four criteria in the indicators set down for the definition of a tax haven because we measure up in all of these indicators as not being a tax haven.

The Deputies raised a point about difficulty with questions. I had 50 different engagements in the United States and were I to spend even 30 seconds on each of those engagements, which were important for this country's exports to the US, we would be here for a very long time. I am quite happy to look at the matter of questions to the Taoiseach and the way we do business. We can divide them even further into sub-groups if the Deputies wish or maybe take one question and just answer that and discuss that for as long as the Deputies want. When I came into this House back in the 1970s Minister X was in from October until March answering questions and nobody else ever got a chance. I am happy to discuss this with Deputies Martin, Adams and representatives from the Deputies' group but this works both ways. If the Deputies want to go off, as they do occasionally, and ask whom did the Taoiseach meet in Davos and what for, as if there was some ulterior suspect motive here-----

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