asked the Taoiseach if he has any proposals to develop the EUROPEN campaign; if he will publish a report on its effect to date; and if he will make a statement on the matter.
13.
Ceisteanna—Questions. Oral Answers. - EUROPEN Campaign.
12.
asked the Taoiseach the activities which are proposed for the Government's 1992 Awareness Campaign in the next six months; the public role he personally intends to play in that campaign; and if he will report on the success or failure of the campaign to date in terms of preparations by Irish business for full Internal Market conditions.
I propose to take Question Nos. 12 and 13 together.
In addition to the 1992 related activities of individual Ministers, the EUROPEN Bureau will undertake three main initiatives in 1989:
(i) an extensive market research survey to gauge the extent of the preparedness of Irish industry and services businesses for the Single European Market and, in particular, for the intensification of competition. The results should be available by May;
(ii) the publication, with the Irish Business Bureau, Brussels, of a monthly news and information report on progress towards the completion of the internal market. This will appear in Business and Finance and Irish Business; the first edition was published on 30 March;
(iii) the commissioning in consultation with the Sectoral Development Committee of a series of analyses of the likely implications of the single market on a broad range of economic sectors of the Irish economy. The studies will be published for the guidance of the sectors concerned.
The Taoiseach will participate in the campaign as appropriate.
To date, the reports and comments which I have received confirm the Government's view that the campaign has been successful in arousing the awareness of the business community to the importance of proper preparation for the single market. The market research survey will help us to measure the situation more accurately and give us guidance on the future activities that should be undertaken by the EUROPEN campaign.When the results are available, I will consider whether a report as suggested by Deputy Quinn, should be published.
Arising out of that comprehensive reply, let me ask three supplementary questions. First, is the Minister of State aware that at a recent CII economic conference held in a Dublin hotel a number of very senior and prominent businessmen admitted that very few Irish companies had responded to the exhortation of the Taoiseach to establish a 1992 committee with a person responsible for monitoring that development within their own organisations? Secondly, do the Government propose to follow the Taoiseach's advice and ask each of the Departments to establish the kind of committee that he told everybody else to establish? Thirdly, does the Taoiseach propose to give to workers in those companies which fail to prepare for 1992 the right to undertake studies to ensure the safeguarding of their jobs, even if the proprietors and employers of the firms are foolhardy enough to ignore it?
There is already a committee of senior civil servants at assistant secretary and principal officer level who monitor the activities of the 1992 campaign on a monthly basis. Secondly, I am aware of the meeting to which the Deputy refers. The EUROPEN campaign for the first six months was devoted to awareness of 1992 and what it involves for the various industries and companies. The various State companies are now endeavouring, working on an individual basis company by company, to try to ensure that each company appoint, as Deputy Quinn says, a 1992 person within the company. Each of the State companies has already done that. All the Ministers, at the various seminars and conference held around the country, exhorted employers to ensure, first, that they were prepared, had done the necessary homework required and, secondly, that they kept their employees informed of all the various changes, extensive in some instances, that may have to take place for the Single European Market.
With great respect to the Minister of State, I put down my question using the word "personally", in order to involve the Taoiseach in this discussion.
Join the queue.
I am disappointed that the Taoiseach is not answering questions on this vitally important matter for the future of the country. I say this with respect for the extremely competent Minister of State.
In view of the undertaking given to the Oireachtas Joint Committee on Secondary Legislation of the EC, when we were debating the Cecchini report in the House, that the committee would be given a supplementary/complementary role in the 1992 awareness campaign, may I ask the Minister of State why there has not been any further action in involving the Oireachtas joint committee in the 1992 awareness campaign?
I have more or less answered the first part of the question.The first six months of the campaign were basically devoted by various Ministers to awareness of the implications of 1992 for Irish industry and businesses throughout the country. Each Minister has been asked as far as possible to involve the Oireachtas joint committee. However, the committee about which I spoke with regard to Deputy Quinn, who monitor the 1992 campaign, have been considering, now that the campaign has moved into a more intensive sphere, that particular attention be paid to what role the Oireachtas joint committee should play.
The words that "particular attention" be given to the role of the committee are a direct repetition of what was said here almost a year ago. Why has there been no movement whatsoever to debate any of the ten major reports of the Oireachtas joint committee?That committee, as was pointed out in this House and as was indicated to the Minister of State when she came to address them, consider that these reports, all of which have to do with the approach of 1992, are extremely important.Could the Minister of State, on behalf of the Government, give the reason that the reports of that committee have been ignored?
As a result of a meeting I had with the Oireachtas joint committee, as Deputy Hussey knows I raised this matter with the Government Chief Whip who had discussions with the other party Whips in relation to that matter. I have ascertained now that the Government Whip has offered to make time available on Tuesdays and Wednesdays to debate reports from all Oireachtas committees, which would include the Deputy's committee.
I want to hear Deputy Quinn. I also wish to hear Deputy Barnes.
A final brief supplementary question.
It must be a brief question, Deputy. I think that I gave the Deputy quite some latitude.
Why is the Minister of State refusing to meet MEPs of the Christian Democratic Party, the Irish members of that major group in the European Parliament?
I have no responsibility in relation to MEPs other than of my own political party. I meet the Members of Fianna Fáil on the basis, first, that I am the national director of elections for the party and, secondly, that I am Minister of State with responsibility for European Affairs. I meet them at their request. This has not been done on behalf of the Government. If the Deputy feels that her party are in any way being left out——
A brief question from Deputy Quinn and then I shall call Deputy Barnes.
I am marvelling at the schizophrenia manifested in the last reply. Arising out of the comprehensive reply of the Minister of State to my supplementary questions, is she now prepared to consider recommending to each Government Department that they specifically appoint a person with responsibility for monitoring preparedness for 1992 within that Department?Secondly, could I ask the Minister of State — perhaps the central review committee of the Programme for National Recovery would be the place where this question might be voiced — that individual Irish firms would be surveyed, encouraged and, indeed, required to appoint a 1992 person or, if they refused to do that, that they facilitate the trade unions in appointing for themselves such a person to protect the workers?
First, as I said, we already have a committee which monitor the implications of 1992. The individual who serves on that committee from the particular parent Department is the 1992 person within that Department.
Not for every Department?
Only for the economic Departments.
That is my point.
I can consider the recommendation made by Deputy Quinn in relation to having individual firms surveyed and asking them to appoint a 1992 person. I am quite confident that the IDA, in particular, have been pursuing that aspect with certain companies. I shall certainly bring the Deputy's recommendation to the attention of the IDA who are responsible, at the end of the day, for each individual company.
The very companies that need to do it are not doing it.
I would like to raise a matter for which the Minister has some responsibility. Can she give me statistics with regard to the number of women involved in decision-making areas in terms of participation on the monitoring committee, or to the persons to be chosen, or already chosen, by the State companies with reference to 1992? Is she aware that the public perception for women in Ireland is that half the population is at present excluded from any participation in decision making? Is the Minister aware that this has been particularly highlighted by the fact that at the IMI conference in April of this year 17 male speakers addressed the subject of the implications of 1992 and not one woman speaker was involved?
I am anxious to facilitate the Deputy, but she seems to be asking separate questions.
I would ask the Minister of State to take cognisance of that matter.
Would the Minister of State not agree——
I want a reply to my question, a Cheann Comhairle.
I thought it was ruled out of order. I do not have any specific statistics in relation to the number of women at decision-making levels in regard to 1992. However, the committee which report to me in relation to all EC matters, including 1992, have women representatives from the Department of Finance and the Department of Foreign Affairs.
Will the Minister agree that part of her responsibility in relation to European affairs is to brief all the MEPs from Ireland, not just the members of her own party? After all, the other MEPs in my party are members of a much more influential group than those in Fianna Fáil; her responsibility is not to her party but to the country.
It is an extraordinary attitude.
The briefing of MEPs has been established for a long time and there is official briefing from each Government Department to all MEPs in relation to any subject they wish to raise in the European Parliament.
That also applies to previous Ministers——
Question No. 14, please.