Brian Hayes (Fine Gael)

We will co-operate with the Government in its attempts to deal with all Stages of No. 2 today. We welcome the fact that the Government has included in the Bill a key measure Fine Gael has been requesting for the past three years concerning sexual grooming.

News on the jobs front in the past 48 hours, especially in the mid-west region, has been horrendous. It has been particularly bad in Limerick where 200 jobs have been lost and, as we speak, the position regarding Procter & Gamble in Nenagh remains uncertain. None of us should underestimate the significance of announcements for parts of the country that have experienced virtual full employment in recent years. However, we need a debate on competitiveness in the House at the earliest possible time. We have lost more than 30,000 manufacturing jobs in the past five years. The low corporation tax regime was negotiated successfully by Deputy Quinn on behalf of the rainbow Government in advance of the 1997 general election. As we enter the general election campaign it is important that the consensus that exists in this House and in all mainstream political parties is held.

More importantly the European Union should hear from this country with one political voice about the dangers of tax harmonisation. Many multinational companies remain here because of our low tax rate. That has been built up by a credible consensus-led political support in the past ten to 15 years. It is important that the European Union hears that if any tax harmonisation goes ahead, particularly on corporation tax, that position will have dramatic impact in peripheral parts of the Union like ours. It is crucial to speak with one voice on the issue of low corporation tax rates given the number of jobs here that are dependent on US and other multinationals.