Mary Harney
Question:2 Miss Harney asked the Taoiseach when he will reappoint the National Economic and Social Council; and the plans, if any, he has to expand the representational composition of the council. [3968/95]
Ceisteanna—Questions. Oral Answers. - National Economic and Social Council.
I will be reappointing the NESC shortly. It is my intention to broaden the range of interests represented on the council.
Will the Taoiseach accept that, given the existence of the National Economic and Social Forum the roles of these two bodies overlap? Will he give any consideration to examining the terms of reference of the National Economic and Social Council before reappointing it? Also, has the Taoiseach held discussions with the National Organisation for the Unemployed and the Council for the Status of Women in relation to their participation in this body?
We are having an expansion of the question.
The answer is "yes" to the first part of the question. In regard to the second part, that is one of the matters we have been considering in the past few months in looking at this issue and we will be making an announcement on the matter of rendering consistent and avoiding overlap between the terms of reference of the various bodies. In regard to meetings with the INOU and the Council for the Status of Women, to the best of my knowledge I have had no request for any meeting from these bodies but I am examining the question of ensuring that their viewpoints are represented in the NESC. It is one of the matters on which I expect to be making an announcement shortly.
Will the Taoiseach accept that over the years NESC has done a tremendous job and has been of great assistance to successive Governments? Will he ensure that any broadening of the representation of NESC will not diminish its objectivity? I believe NESC will not be able to carry out the role of bringing the social partners together, considering the future and coming to conclusions if it is amalgamated with the other body. That body deals with current problems and analysis of those problems whereas NESC brings together the partners to consider the future, which is a separate exercise.
I am not proposing amalgamation at this stage but simply a tidying up of the respective terms of reference of the two bodies. There may be a case in the long run for amalgamation but that is not an immediate proposal. Of course I acknowledge the value of the work of NESC. It has been extremely helpful in providing a foundation document for negotiation for the successive Programmes for Government and so on. No change I would make in the composition of NESC would in any way interfere with its objectivity. The changes relate mainly to concerns such as those expressed by Deputy Harney about the need to ensure that groups not directly represented at present have their viewpoints heard at NESC.
NESC has done very valuable work but it is important that its report be phrased in very accessible language. From my reading of NESC reports, there is a tendency for them to be phrased in very difficult academic prose which is not accessible to members of the general public. I hope the new NESC will take account of the fact that if its reports are to have impact they must be read by a broad mass of the public which requires a degree of simplicity and brevity in presentation.