Clare Daly (Dublin North, United Left) | Oireachtas source

The point I am trying to make relates to the concept known as corporate welfare. It is not simply about direct aid which, as the Minister has said, has been restricted somewhat in recent years. It is really about subsidies and tax breaks. Would the Minister not agree that there is no centralised record in Ireland of exactly how much taxpayers' money is being diverted to foreign multinationals through various arms of the State in this way and, therefore, the true cost to the taxpayer remains one of the best kept secrets we have? Should we not try to find out that information?

In a British context the analysis has revealed the equivalent of £3,500 per household. I imagine in an Irish context the amount of the transfer is far greater. It is a little like what the Think-tank for Action on Social Change has said in the sense that what we are seeing is the concentration of income in fewer hands, giving wealthy people more power to lobby for tax cuts that will disproportionately affect them. It is the case, therefore, that Ireland is one of the most unequal countries in Europe. The issue of corporate welfare is part of this and we would benefit from a greater analysis of the problem.

See this speech in context