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Dáil Éireann debate -
Tuesday, 22 Jun 1993

Vol. 432 No. 6

Ceisteanna—Questions. Oral Answers. - Programme for Personal and Technological Development.

Phil Hogan

Question:

11 Mr. Hogan asked the Minister for Enterprise and Employment if Ireland was represented at a recent meeting to agree the fourth framework programme of community activities in the field of research and technological development; the agreement which was reached at this meeting; and if he will make a statement on the matter.

The EC Fourth Framework Programme for Research and Technological Development has been discussed at a number of meetings over the past 12 months, including meetings of the Council of Ministers, CREST, the Committee for Scientific and Technological Research, the Council Research Group and COREPER. Ireland has been represented at all these meetings. There have also been a number of bilateral meetings with Commission officials.

The most recent meeting of the Council of Research Ministers took place on 29 April, 1993 and the next Council is on 30 June 1993. These are part of the ongoing process of consultation, exchange and refinement which will culminate eventually in a new framework programme. However, negotiations are, by definition, slow and protracted by virtue of the all-embracing nature of the framework programme, the complexity of the issues involved and the diversity of national interests.

The process is further complicated on this occasion by the fact that it is subject to new procedures set out in the Maastricht Treaty which has not yet been ratified by all member states. In view of this, it is possible that agreement on the programme will not be arrived at until later this year or even early 1994.

The Minister said that the State was represented at this meeting on 29 April in Brussels, but he did not say who was present at the meeting. Am I to understand that the Minister or the Minister of State was present at the meeting on that day?

No, that cannot be taken for granted. Sometimes Ministers attend, sometimes senior officials and sometimes the Ambassador sits in, depending on the agenda. That is the normal procedure.

I understand that final agreement was reached on the programme at that meeting and that although the Minister was not present Ministers from all the other states were. Why was the Minister not present? Did his political duties in looking after the Fianna Fáil organisation keep him away from Brussels? Has the Minister missed any other meetings? The Government has laid heavy emphasis on research and development promotion.

I will worry about Fianna Fáil. The Deputy is totally misinformed. There were no formal proposals to do with the framework programme on that agenda. If there were I would have made it my business to deal with them. This was a routine meeting which dealt with a number of routine matters. My information is that not all countries were represented by Ministers. This is routine. We have submitted detailed views on this programme and it will be the end of this year, if not the beginning of 1994, before we are in a position even to consider formal proposals. The Deputy's information was grossly misleading.

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