Vol. 418 No. 8
1 Mr. J. Bruton asked the Taoiseach the number of meetings of the ministerial committee on the Culliton report, referred to in his reply to Parliamentary Question No. 11 of 31 March, which have so far taken place; and when he expects this committee to have completed its work.
The ministerial committee on the Culliton report have not formally met as yet pending submission to them of implementing proposals from the task force.
The Government established the task force, as recommended by the Industrial Policy Review Group, to implement the recommendations of the group. The task force have met on six occasions to date.
I understand that the first report of the task force is in final preparation and when completed shortly will be submitted for consideration by the ministerial committee. The report will include recommendations relating to the areas of responsibility of the Ministers for Industry and Commerce, Labour, Education, the Marine, the Environment, Tourism, Transport and Communications and Foreign Affairs.
Would the Taoiseach agree that objective observers might feel there was a certain lack of urgency in regard to the Culliton report when five months after the report was presented, the ministerial committee, who are supposed to give a lead in implementing these 55 recommendations, have not yet met?
No. The task force were established on 21 January 1992 by decision of the Government to follow up the recommendations. The ministerial committee, to be chaired by the Taoiseach, were to be the implementing team for action after the Government receive the recommendations from the task force. As I have already said, the first report is almost complete and action will be taken in due course when the Government have considered it.
Is it the function of the task force to second guess the Culliton report and recommend whether particular recommendations should be accepted by the Government?
It is not the function of the task force to second guess the Culliton report. It is a question of setting out what should be done to implement the recommendations. This report will be passed to the Government and the ministerial committee will then do their job.
May I ask the Taoiseach whether the Government have told the task force if they have accepted any one of the 55 recommendations at this stage?
As I have already said, the first recommendation from the task force has not yet come to Government. We will receive it shortly and action will then be taken by the ministerial committee, chaired by me. The task force have already met on six occasions.
May I ask how the task force are supposed to do their job if they do not know the Government's opinion on any of the 55 recommendations?
We cannot put the cart before the horse. The Government will make their decisions after they receive the recommendations from the task force.
Is the Taoiseach aware of the rumour that there is strong resistance both in the Civil Service and the semi-State sector to the main recommendations of the Culliton report? Have the Government taken any action in this regard? Can the Taoiseach give the House an assurance that the Government will seek to implement the recommendations of the report, irrespective of resistance in the various sectors of the Civil Service?
I am not aware of the resistance to which the Deputy has referred. However, this resistance would not surprise me because any time one calls for fairly drastic institutional changes in the system, there is a certain level of resistance. The Government recognise that the Culliton report is in the best long term interests of this country and, consequently, they will not shirk their responsibilities in this regard.
Arising from his reply in which he suggested that the implications for different Ministers are being considered, may I ask the Taoiseach if the Government accept the recommendations in the Culliton report in relation to education? Will he comment on the view expressed by an outside source last week that the suggested recommendations on the restructuring of education were both narrow and disabling in relation to the formation of skills in the future?
If the first task force recommendation received by the Government involves the subject matter to which the Deputy has referred, the Government will then make their decisions.
