Jerry Buttimer (Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I was not referring to the Senator at all and he may protest too much. The Minister of State and I have had our battles around the retail export scheme and we will not revisit them. In the hospitality sector there is a VAT reduction and a Covid restrictions support scheme, CRSS, and we can add to that the extension of debt warehousing measures relating to income tax and reliefs for the self-employed. They are all welcome. Listening to some of the news on the radio, one might swear the Government was only about one issue but it is not. We must also consider the implications of Brexit, and I wish everybody success in dealing with it. The help-to-buy scheme is an important element of the housing suite of measures.

There is also the regional film development fund. The film industry is important and we are basking in the success of our independent film-makers, actors and actresses. The Minister of State is aware of the issues around the tax anomaly concerning CityJet and the potential move of the base from Ireland. Could we get a comment on that? I am a member of the Committee on Transport and Communications Networks, and I know our aviation sector, like others, has gone through a tumultuous time.

The corporation tax roadmap is important and I welcome the certainty that has been provided in this respect. There are those who criticise foreign direct investment and I would like them to go back to what could replace it or how they would see an Ireland without such investment. People work in this sector, as well as in ancillary services or businesses, and there are potential opportunities in new markets.In that context, I want to make one reference. I know we have a One China policy, and it is all about economies of scale, but for some reason, Taiwan seems to be nobody's child when it comes to this policy. I ask the Government to look at the issue of Taiwan. I did not realise there was a time limit of five minutes, so I ask for the Acting Chairman's indulgence for a few minutes.

In the area of foreign and direct investment, FDI, I want to mention the presence of Apple in Cork. The company is celebrating 40 years in Cork this year, and it has grown from having just six employees in 1980, to employing over 6,000 workers of over 90 nationalities in 2020 in its European headquarters in Cork city. This illustrates the point that FDI does work, because the jobs to which I have referred are well paid.

My final comment concerns remote working. The remote working arrangement that is currently in place is not meant to be permanent and full time. I know that there is a task force working on the issue, but we must have a real debate on the issues around remote working. I thank the Acting Chairman and the Minister of State for their indulgence.