Irish parliament to debate EU appeal on Apple ruling

Deputies in the Irish parliament have been recalled early to debate the ruling by the European Commission that Apple failed to pay up to €13bn in taxes to the state.

The government has said that it plans to appeal the decision, and have asked members of parliament, known as TDs, to back the appeal.

Members of Dail Eireann were given a 16-page Department of Finance document providing information on the case on Tuesday night.

Apple chief Tim Cook has said that he is confident that the Commission's ruling will be overturned, but the claim has been rejected by the commissioner who oversaw the investigation into the company's tax practices in Ireland, Margrethe Vestager.

She said the decision was "based on the facts of the case, looking into Apple Sales International, how they are arranged within Ireland, and the profits recorded there".