Vol. 541 No. 2
814 Dr. O'Hanlon asked the Minister for Social, Community and Family Affairs the extent to which his Department is prepared for the introduction of the euro; if he will ensure that the replies to future parliamentary questions show all monetary values in euros and pounds; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [21900/01]
Work is well in hand in the Department to effect a smooth changeover to the euro on 1 January 2002. The principle underpinning this Department's approach is that customers will not lose out on the changeover process. Accordingly, customers will be paid in Irish pounds to 31 December 2001 and automatically in euro from 1 January 2002. A formal project board has been in place since late 1998 at senior official level to oversee euro changeover work. Staff have been assigned exclusively to the project, and a specific Euro Transition and Test Office has been set up to co-ordinate the necessary preparatory work on IT and business matters. The Department is pursuing a concerted and targeted information campaign designed to ensure social welfare customer awareness of the implications for them of the changeover to euro. The information campaign is being conducted in close consultation with the Euro Changeover Board of Ireland or ECBI and pays particular attention to the needs of the hardest to reach categories, such as people with disabilities and those with low literacy skills. A range of media are being used – print, radio and electronic – to heighten awareness among the Department's customers.
An information leaflet entitled "Social Welfare the euro and You" (SW103) was launched in June 2001 to complement the material in the SW99 "Social Welfare and the euro" which issued in February 1999. Both of these leaflets are available in the Department's local offices and through the usual outlets for social welfare information. In addition to this, in August, copies of the SW103 were issued to some 520,000 recipients of child benefit.
Since mid-2000 new payment award letters issuing to long-term claimants include the amount payable in both Irish pounds and euro. A magazine entitled "Changing for a Changing Ireland" issued in June-July 2001 to 1.4 million households about DSCFA services and featured a full page of euro information.
A specific euro mailshot to old age and disability/invalidity customers has just been issued. It is planned to issue a further euro mailshot to all customers in November. Also, 321,000 social welfare customers will, this week, receive payment books which contain orders payable in Irish pounds up to 31 December 2001 and include new euro orders payable from 1 January 2002. This latest renewal brings the number of euro inclusive books issued to over one million. Some 700,000 customers already received euro inclusive renewal books this year. By the end of the year all departmental information leaflets and claim forms will be in dual display format.
Where appropriate, replies to parliamentary questions involving monetary amounts will be shown in euro and Irish pounds.
