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Dáil Éireann debate -
Wednesday, 22 Apr 1998

Vol. 489 No. 7

Ceisteanna—Questions. - National Economic and Social Council.

John Bruton

Question:

9 Mr. J. Bruton asked the Taoiseach if he will report on the current work programme of the NESC. [9263/98]

The National Economic and Social Council is approaching the end of its current work programme, with the launch yesterday of the fourth publication from the NESC research series entitled Sustaining Competitive Advantage.

The council is working on the commitment in Partnership 2000 that the NESC, in consultation with the relevant Government Departments, will benchmark progress in the areas covered in the Partnership, both over time and by comparison with other countries. The council is advancing this commitment through undertaking a broad analysis of benchmarking and studies in specific areas.

A programme covering the period June 1998 to December 1999 will be discussed at the first meeting of the new council. The programme will be built around key issues likely to be central to the next strategy document which will be prepared during the second and third quarters of 1999.

Will this work incorporate the work of the National Competitiveness Council which has produced a number of specific targets which it has requested the Government to achieve, including the immediate liberalisation of the Telecom monopoly?

I do not think it will. While NESC would take account of work proceeding in other areas, it regards the recently published work of the National Competitiveness Council as a significant contribution to its benchmarking process. As far as that is concerned the answer to the Deputy's question is yes but it will not take over or interfere in any way with its work. If the Deputy's question is whether it will take account of the National Competitiveness Council report in its benchmarking process, the answer is yes.

Will it the Taoiseach agree from reading these reports, as he has done over many years, that large sections of them from bodies such as NESC consist of a recitation of previous reports by other bodies? It is an ongoing process and it is difficult to find any hard actionable recommendations at the end of hundreds of pages of prolix analysis from bodies such as this. Will he ask the new NESC to concentrate on producing immediate actionable recommendations for which someone can be held to account and not studied compromises which mean nothing and simply provide a vehicle for the publication of the edited version of consultancy reports for which NESC has paid money?

I will convey the Deputy's view to the new council.

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