Vol. 498 No. 1
12 Proinsias De Rossa asked the Taoiseach the progress, if any, made in relation to the recommendation contained in the NESF report of December 1997 which suggested a greater role for the voluntary and community sectors in future national agreements; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [25569/98]
Social partnership is a dynamic process which must be constantly developed and refined in line with the changing nature of Irish society. The inclusion, for the first time in the process, of organisations representing the community and voluntary sector was a most positive development. It represented a tangible acknowledgment of the need to bring the socially excluded and marginalised into the economic and social mainstream.
The organisations under the community and voluntary pillar have made a significant and unique contribution to the development of Partnership 2000 and, equally important, to its full implementation. In recognition of that, the Government has responded positively to the NESF report of December last in that the pillar is now represented on the NESC in its own right, as well as the NESF.
The Government's focus is on fulfilling the present agreement and on putting in place the necessary pathways towards a successor. On the question of whether representation should be widened in the context of future agreements, the Government will decide on such matters closer to the time when Partnership 2000 is due to expire.
Will the Taoiseach agree that NESC has done a good job, that its position should be consolidated and its request should receive a sympathetic hearing from the Government?
Yes.
How does one delimit the appropriate voluntary and community organisations to be included in social partnership in the sense that the number of voluntary organisations is virtually unlimited, with some being local and some national? Where does one draw the line between those should and should not be included?
Deputy Bruton will know this is a difficulty. It should be confined to national bodies. If we were to include regional and local bodies, the process would become impossible. Under Partnership 2000, 18 community and voluntary organisations are represented and they are allocated 12 representatives as part of this pillar. I received many representations from other organisations that were not involved in the last round. Some representations were made by bodies that are not national bodies and I have ruled out their representation, but some representations were made by national bodies and their inclusion will have to be given consideration. We should try to keep a handle on the numbers involved, otherwise the process will become too unwieldly.
