Of all the existing member states, Ireland's unique combination of assets has allowed us to make the most of membership of the Single Market. Our favourable tax climate combined with our highly skilled English speaking workforce have allowed us to become a magnet for inward investment and job creation. The leaders of this country in the 1960s had the vision to see that membership of the European Union would help to bring us out of the poverty and mass emigration experienced in the 1950s. I am pleased that there was unanimity on this point in the Chamber yesterday, given its significance to our future development. One has to travel outside Ireland to see how our success story is admired. I was impressed by the unanimous agreement in this Chamber that international investment was critical for Ireland.