Gerry Adams (Louth, Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

It allows for a focus on them. First, I appreciate and, indeed, enjoyed the way the Taoiseach raised the issue of the undocumented Irish at the Speaker's lunch. It was a very direct way of doing it and it certainly caught people's attention. I commend him on that. As the Taoiseach said, there is an opportunity before the election in November to push for reform that would favour the undocumented Irish, but this requires significant work by the Government and our diplomatic representatives in the US. I know the Taoiseach understands how important this is both for the families here in Ireland and the people who have no legal status in the USA. The Taoiseach told me yesterday he is working on this issue, which I welcome, but the Government must increase its engagement with the Obama Administration and the people on Capitol Hill. Perhaps he would take the opportunity to outline what his strategy is for the forthcoming period. This issue fluctuates but it never goes away. Depending on whom one talks to, it is likely to be resolved or is not likely to be resolved. In the meantime, there are ongoing difficulties for the people involved. Will the Taoiseach outline the Government's strategy for the next few months?

I noted the Governor of California, Jerry Brown, whom I know, venting on an issue that arises very regularly among those in politics in the United States. He was giving out, in a humorous way, about our tax laws and how US corporations such as Apple are treated in this country. Aside from his humour, his criticism was quite scathing and, one could say, undiplomatic. He talked about the Government's creative accounting, which allows US multinationals to avoid paying a substantial portion of their taxes in the USA. There is a roll-on effect of the USA being denied its tax take, the big multinationals getting off scot-free and the consequent effect even in the developing world. Does the Taoiseach accept that these are genuine concerns expressed by Governor Brown, especially as the European Commission is to launch a formal investigation into assertions that the Revenue Commissioners have offered special deals to multinational companies here? The Government usually glosses over this, says it has signed an agreement and so forth. Would the hostility and anger about this issue result in senior US political figures making the job of the IDA more difficult? Does this arise, or was it raised with the Taoiseach in March?

I will come back to the issue of the North later.

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