Ireland still has one of the worst records in the world for combating cross-border corruption — with little or no effort being made to prosecute Irish businesses for bribing officials abroad.

Senior Department of Finance officials made “discreet” inquiries about how Ireland could enter a bailout as early as October 2008, the banking inquiry has heard.

Apple chief Tim Cook is “deeply offended” by allegations made in BBC’s Panorama that the technology giant mistreats workers at its Chinese factories.