Gerry Adams (Louth, Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

Did the Taoiseach raise the issue of the European Commission's decision in respect of the Apple billions with the German Chancellor? If he did, does he know the German state's position? Does it support the Government's, in our opinion, wrongful appeal against this?

The Taoiseach will know better than I that the German Chancellor is under huge pressure, especially on the issue of refugees and the future of Deutsche Bank, which she is refusing to bail out. The collapse of this bank will have real implications for the EU economy and potentially, for all I know, for the global economy as well. Did the Taoiseach discuss any of this and has any of it, in so far as it is possible to do so, been factored into calculations for the budget?

I want to come back to the issue of the refugees. It is devastating to watch what is happening in the besieged city of Aleppo and journalists and commentators have almost run out of words to describe it. Some 250,000 people are under daily bombardment, many without water and with little food. I welcome the endorsement by the Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade, Deputy Charlie Flanagan, of the UN's efforts to broker a peace deal. Will the Taoiseach outline what measures the Government is taking to assist this process and what support it is providing to aid agencies and to the UN?

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