Catherine Noone (Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I support the other Senators on the issue of Apple. Clearly, the reputation of Ireland is at stake. It is timely. We are lucky that the Taoiseach is coincidentally in Europe today. He will be able to make statements on the issue and, hopefully, clarify the matter, as has been done by this Government in the more recent past on many other issues, so that our reputation can be corrected, restored and enhanced.

I support the call of Senators for a Minister to travel to the United States. It is unrealistic to think that any US Senators will come to this House but it is within our gift to send one of the Ministers to the United States to clearly state the position.

The fact is we are the envy of many of our neighbours. We do compete on tax grounds. However, the CEO of Apple made other important points as to why the company does business in Ireland. It is not only on tax grounds, and we need to highlight those points. I refer to Ireland's educated workforce, proximity to Europe and advantageous location even when it comes to the Middle East and the rest of the world. It is not only on tax grounds that we compete and we need to remember that. Given that there are so many multinationals here creating employment, there is no benefit in us bashing our tax system, which has been a reason, but not the only one, to get investment here. My understanding is that our tax system is transparent. I would welcome a debate on it here in this House in the near future so that we can dispel any view of Ireland as a tax haven.