Brendan Howlin (Wexford, Labour) | Oireachtas source

Ireland has been very vigorously engaged in the base erosion and profit shifting, BEPS, process with the OECD. Many corporations want to ensure they are very solid regarding it and it is a new and welcome paradigm in corporation tax payment. Given that we are a very clear and transparent country regarding the rate of corporation tax we pay, more and more companies will decide to pay their corporation tax in Ireland, and it will be a permanent feature. The Deputy’s question whether the Stability and Growth Pact rules are flexible enough is very valid. Like everything in the EU, it will be a matter for discussion. The Deputy asked a very relevant question, whether France would be allowed to break the rules in order to provide for the security of the state. Personally, I think France will do it. We must address it at European level. We want to apply the rules because they make sense but they must also be flexible enough to deal with issues such as those the Deputy has set out.

See this speech in context