Bernard J. Durkan
Question:130 Mr. Durkan asked the Minister for Finance if he has satisfied himself with the degree of public awareness in respect of the next stage of the euro changeover; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [22945/99]
Written Answers. - Euro Changeover.
The Euro Changeover Board of Ireland – ECBI – has the task of providing information on the euro to the public. Since I established it in May 1998, the ECBI has been carrying out an extensive public information programme on the euro and a detailed account of its activities is contained in its first annual report, which was published in June 1999. Among many other items, the board's public information activities have included distributing over 4.5 million information leaflets, including one to every household in summer 1998 and a second in spring 1999, and some half a million paper converters; circulating over 200,000 posters for display in schools, libraries, public offices etc; running three advertising campaigns on the euro; running a regional information roadshow in spring 1999, which visited thirteen cities and towns around the country, co-sponsoring a national television series on the euro, and setting up a website (www.irlgov.ie/ecbi-euro), Aertel page (page 678) and local helpline (1890 20 10 50).
In addition, the EMU business awareness campaign being run by Forfás on behalf of the Government has distributed large quantities of its extensive information materials for business and many private sector organisations promote information about the euro among their members.
In June 1999 the ECBI published the results of a national survey of public awareness on the euro. The survey's main findings were that 88 per cent of the population knew the name of the euro – 59 per cent in 1998; 75 per cent had seen, read or heard something about the euro; 53 per cent were in the right value zone for the euro, at 78.80p; and 48 per cent knew that euro notes and coins will come into circulation in 2002 – 21 per cent in 1998.
These results showed a good general awareness of the euro, especially when account is taken of the fact that euro notes and coins will not be put into circulation until 1 January 2002.
Arising from the survey, the ECBI's activities are focused on two areas: first, helping people to develop a scale of values for themselves in euro, and secondly, targeting people with lower-than-average awareness on the euro – essentially, elderly people and people not in the workplace.
As regards the first, the ECBI ran two outdoor poster campaigns during the summer focusing on a number of common money amounts and their equivalent in euro, and is working with the Forfás business campaign in an effort to promote dual display, that is, in euro as well as in Irish pounds, of net pay on payslips. Dual display is in widespread use otherwise, of course, for example on national lottery tickets, on bills from the ESB, An Bord Gais and Eircom, on tax-free allowance certificates from the Revenue Commissioners, on bank statements, till receipts etc.
As regards the second, the ECBI's current information activities include the following: a poster has been produced and circulated for display in all post offices and social welfare offices giving basic information on the euro and inviting further inquiries; an information pack, including an information video, is being sent to some 1,000 nursing homes and day-care centres for elderly people; following consultation with organisations involved with literacy, an information pack will be circulated to special schools and bodies concerned with literacy, and a special information leaflet and a workbook for literacy tutors will be provided for use with people who have literacy difficulties; in the ECBI's programme for 1999-2000 of part-funding for information activities on the euro carried out by non-governmental organisations, special priority is being given to activities focusing on low awareness groups.
Finally, in early October the ECBI launched a new website for schools, linked to Scoilnet, and has since sent an information pack about it to all primary and post-primary schools, some 4,000 in all. The ECBI is also collaborating with the Department of Education and Science on the preparation of subject guides on the euro for teachers.
The ECBI will continue to provide public information on the euro until the changeover is complete in 2002.