Mary Mitchell O'Connor (Dún Laoghaire, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

Our international reputation as a place of business and future job creation is critical. Multinationals invest in Ireland for many reasons. They come here because of our highly talented and highly capable workforce. They come here because we are an English-speaking country in the eurozone. They come to invest in Ireland because they can rely on the stability and transparency of the Irish legal and taxation regime. They know that laws will not be re-written or retrospectively applied. They know our courts will vindicate the rights of people.

The European Commission has called into question our sovereign right to collect tax according to our tax laws. We are a sovereign nation with jurisdiction over our own tax laws and we make no apologies for this. We make no apologies for putting in place the right enterprise conditions for investment for international companies. We stand by our 12.5% corporation tax.

We are a country that makes real goods and provides real services — whether medical devices, pharma products, infant milk powder, microchips or FinTech products. We compete with other countries for foreign direct investment. Let no one be so naive as to think that potential FDI companies come here for our smiling Irish eyes or turf fires. It is a cutthroat business. Singapore, Luxembourg, Denmark and London, to name but a few, are places vigorously fighting to win investment. As the Minister for Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation, I am keen to ensure that the 187,000 people living in Ireland who depend on foreign direct investment for work have certainty now and in future.

Apple employs 6,000 people in Ireland, many of whom are in Cork. The company will, in a short time, invest €850 million into a facility in Athenry. These are real people and jobs, not simply statistics in a tax report or a brass-plate company.

FDI companies account for 15% of all employment and for exports worth €130 billion in goods and services. They contribute significantly and support innovation in every part of our economy. They represent the potential pipeline of employment for our children and grandchildren. It is incumbent on us to protect our reputation and we will do so.

I point out to Deputies who are critical of the Government approach to appeal this decision that many of them cry foul when IDA Ireland does not facilitate enough visits to their constituencies. We should make no mistake about it: IDA Ireland investment depends on our international reputation. These people cannot have it both ways.

We cannot and will not allow the fallout from this Commission decision to hamper our ongoing efforts to win more foreign direct investment for Ireland.

The ruling has the potential to cast a cloud over our hard-won reputation as a legitimate home for international business and it creates uncertainty. Uncertainty frightens investors and delays investment. We have a responsibility to robustly contest the Commission’s decision and I am confident our appeal will succeed. That is because, in very simple terms, Ireland did not provide favourable treatment to the company involved. The facts and historical record bear this out.

I urge every one of my colleagues in this House to support this appeal. Nothing less than our country’s reputation and prosperity is at stake.

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