John Carty (Fianna Fail)

I welcome the Minister of State and his officials. I thank Senator Callely for providing me with a little of his time as I must attend another meeting. I welcome the Bill. It is important in the times we are in to do everything possible to ensure that foreign investment in the country is kept to the fore. It has stood us well for many years and I hope it will continue to do so. I welcome section 3 of the Bill as the taxpayer must be protected. As the Minister of State said, some cases can cost up to €10 million. An upper limit of €317,000 is very low and I welcome the amendment. From the taxpayer's point of view it is not expected the Bill will give rise to additional staffing requirements and this is important in the times we are in. The Minister of State mentioned he will table amendments and I look forward to hearing what they are. I am sure they will be constructive and will work to the good of the Bill.