Bernard Durkan (Kildare North, Fine Gael)
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25. To ask the Minister for Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation the extent to which she is satisfied that Ireland remains an attractive location for foreign direct investment notwithstanding developments at EU level, Brexit or geopolitical changes globally; her views on whether the 12.5% corporation tax rates here will remain notwithstanding challenges; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [30485/17]

Frances Fitzgerald (Dublin Mid West, Fine Gael)
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Ireland is and will continue to be an attractive location for foreign direct investment.  

As a small open economy Ireland punches above its weight and attracts significant levels of inward investment.

The number of new investments secured by IDA Ireland in 2016 rose by almost 12% against a background of global economic uncertainty, intense competition and a changing global tax landscape.

There are now almost 200,000 people employed in IDA Ireland, the highest in the history of the Agency.

IDA Ireland client companies account for approximately 10% of the private sector jobs in the economy, a very important contribution to our overall economy.

Ireland attracts foreign direct investment for a wide variety of reasons including that:

- We are English speaking;

- We are committed members of the European Union with barrier free-access to over 500 million consumers;

- We have a strong pool of highly skilled workers and a first-class education system that produces top graduates;

- We have a clear, certain, consistent and competitive corporate tax rate of 12.5% on trading income and competitive regime with incentives for research and innovation.

There have been many developments in international taxation, including the OECD's Base Erosion and Profit Shifting (BEPS) initiative and legislative proposals from the European Union in recent years.  Ireland actively participates and will ensure that our corporation tax code meets these new international standards, is competitive and delivers tax certainty for business.  This is reflected in the update of Ireland's International Tax Strategy 2016 and in the ongoing Review of the Corporation Tax Code by Seamus Coffey.

Ireland's 12.5% corporate tax rate on trading income will not be changed and nobody is asking for it to be changed, as clearly articulated by the then Minister for Finance in his 2017 Budget speech.