Written Answers. - Departmental Bodies.
Michael Joe Cosgrave
Question:
59
Mr. Cosgrave
asked the
Tánaiste
and Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment the number of task forces or special committees set up in her Department since 1997; the date they were established; the terms of reference of each; if they have reported; and if she will make a statement on the matter.
[24482/01]
The following are the details of the task forces and special committees established. The National Minimum Wage Monitoring Committee was established in June 2000 and comprises representatives of ICTU, IBEC and the Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment. The remit of the committee is to monitor and assess the implementation of the national minimum wage legislation. A report, prepared by the committee for the Tánaiste, will be submitted shortly to the Oireachtas Committee on Enterprise and Small Business.
The National Framework Committee on Family Friendly Policies was established in July 2000 under the Programme for Prosperity and Fairness. The committee is comprised of the social partners and a number of Departments and is chaired by the Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment. The remit of the committee is to identify actions to be undertaken by the social partners at national level that support family friendly policies in the workplace. The committee prepared a progress report for the most recent PPF plenary meeting on 17 October and will produce a final report at the end of 2002.
The terms of reference of the Monitoring Group on the Protection of Young Persons (Employment) Act, 1996, were to appraise the effectiveness of the Protection of Young Persons (Employment) Act, 1996; to monitor its enforcement; and advise on how it might be better implemented. The group was established in May 1997. The monitoring group reported to the Minister of State at the Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment, with special responsibility for Labour Affairs, Consumer Rights and International Trade, Deputy Tom Kitt, in May 1999.
The monitoring group on the Organisation of Working Time Act, 1997, was established in July 1998 and reported in March 1999. The terms of reference were to review experience generally with regard to implementation of the Act and of statutory instruments made under it; to assess the effectiveness of the Act and of the statutory instruments made under it; to identify any significant or widespread difficulties in the workplace arising from implementation of the Act and of statutory instruments made under it and to make recommendations as to measures to solve such difficulties; to identify, examine and suggest sol utions in relation to any specific difficulties that may be encountered by small enterprises arising from the implementation of the Act and the statutory instruments made under it; and to assess the impact of, and identify any shortcomings in, the publicity in relation to the Act and statutory instruments made under it and to make recommendations as to future publicity activity.
The Tripartite Group on Part-Time Work Directive (Directive 97/81/EC of 15 December 1997) was established on 22 June 1999 and reported on 17 May 2000. The terms of reference of the group were to agree with the social partners and the Departments of Finance and Social, Community and Family Affairs the method of implementation of Council Directive 97/81/EC of 15 December 1997 concerning the Framework Agreement on Part-Time work concluded by UNICE, CEEP and ETUC.
Following a Government decision of 21 July 1999, the Interdepartmental/Agency Review Group on Public Safety was established in November 1999. The terms of reference of the group were to examine and report on the adequacy of the current administrative and regulatory arrangements for general public safety – and if necessary to invite submissions on the matter; in so doing to carry out an audit of existing legislative and voluntary approaches to public safety issues, the extent of the cover and protection provided by those approaches, identify and comment upon any gaps in the existing arrangements and whether any changes, legislative or otherwise are needed; to make recommendations to the Government on any issues arising from the review, including the appropriateness of establishing a national co-ordination committee to direct and oversee the policy approach in this area; to cost the financial implications of its recommendations and suggest sources of funding to finance those recommendations; and a final report to be submitted to the Government no later than six months from the date of the first meeting of the group, or by such other deadline as may be agreed between the chairperson of the group and the Tánaiste.
The interdepartmental/agency review group reported in July 2000 and I published the report in December 2000.
The Task Force on the Prevention of Workplace Bullying was established by my colleague, the Minister of State at the Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment, with special responsibility for Labour Affairs, Consumer Rights and International Trade, Deputy Tom Kitt, on 21 September 1999. The terms of reference of the task force were to identify the size of the problem and the sectors most at risk; to develop practical programmes and strategies to prevent workplace bullying; to produce a co-ordinated response from State agencies. The report of the Task Force on the Prevention of Workplace Bullying entitled, Dignity at Work – The Chal lenge of Workplace Bullying, was published on 10 April 2001.
The Asia Strategy Group was established in October 1998 under the auspices of the foreign earnings committee. Its terms of reference were to consider how best to increase trade and investment between Ireland and Asia. The group's report was submitted to, and approved by, the Government in July 1999. A committee to oversee the implementation of the strategy was established, as set out in the report.
An interdepartmental and agency group was established on foot of a Government decision, in February 1998, that Ireland should participate in EXPO 2000. The group was formed on a non-statutory basis as an oversight committee to input on a broad range of issues relevant to Ireland's participation in EXPO. The group held its inaugural meeting on 7 May 1998 and its activities ceased at the end of 2000 following the end of EXPO 2000. The group did not have terms of reference and it was not intended that it would report on its activities.
The Consumer Advisory Council is a special committee set up by the Minister of State at the Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment, with special responsibility for Labour Affairs, Consumer Rights and International Trade, Deputy Kitt, on 29 June 2001. It is a formal mechanism for consulting consumer interests, for discussing issues and concerns of consumers, with a wide range of interested bodies, and feeding these views into the policy-making process. It has not reported.
The Motor Insurance Advisory Board was re-established in September 1998. Its terms of reference are the provision of advice and-or recommendations to the Minister on factors affecting the cost of motor insurance and on any matter he may refer to the board or on any matters which the board itself sees as affecting premiums charged or the methods of providing motor insurance; evaluation on a six monthly basis of trends in and underlying factors contributing to motor insurance costs using available accident and claims data, consumer price indicators and other relevant factors; and the submission of an annual report to the Minister incorporating the board's findings, recommendations, advices and the results of a comparative survey at domestic and EU level in selected motor insurance categories. The final report of the MIAB is expected at the end of this year.
An interdepartmental implementation group on the establishment of a personal injuries assessment board was set up in April 2001. Its job is to progress the establishment of the personal injuries assessment board, with an initial mandate to address personal injury claims arising from employers' liability insurance. The group expects to report by the end of this year.
I established the Review Group on Auditing in February 2000 following from the first report of the Committee of Public Accounts parliamentary inquiry into DIRT. Its terms of reference were to establish whether self-regulation in the auditing profession is working effectively and consistently; whether new or revised structures and arrangements are necessary to improve public confidence, and if so, what form should they take; the role of the external auditor in providing other services to the same institution; the impact of other functions such as tax advice and consultancy on the external audit process; the determination of fees, bearing in mind shareholder interests; the relationships between an external auditor and the management that appoints and remunerates him; the statutory provisions on auditing in the Companies Acts and related codes; the role of the external auditor in ensuring compliance with statutory provisions; the possible role of the Central Bank in regard to management letters issued by external auditors to financial institutions; the possible strengthening of audit standards relating to financial institutions; the suitability of having joint auditors to financial institutions with one being appointed by the Central Bank; the possible introduction of maximum terms of five years for an auditor to a financial institution; and any matters directly related to the foregoing.
The review group, which was chaired by Senator O'Toole, presented its report to the public accounts committee on the 11 July 2000. The Government subsequently endorsed the report and its recommendations.
In April of this year I appointed the interim board of the Irish Auditing and Accounting Supervisory Authority, IAASA, as recommended in the report in the Review Group on Auditing. The interim board of IAASA was set up on an interim basis pending the enactment of necessary legislation to establish the IAASA on statutory basis. Once this legislation is enacted IAASA will be responsible for supervising the regulation by the accountancy bodies of their members' professional standards.
The role of the interim board of IAASA is to advise me and my Department during the drafting of the legislation necessary to give effect to the recommendations in the review group on auditing; and draw up a work programme to cover the operation of IAASA once established on a statutory basis.
The interim board has now provided me with its views on the approach I plan to take on the legislation to implement the recommendations contained in the Report of the Review Group on Auditing and I intend to bring proposals to Government in the near future to seek its approval to get a Bill drafted.
The establishment of the Working Group on Company Law Compliance and Enforcement, on foot of a decision by the Government, was announced on 7 August 1998. The group's terms of reference were to review the compliance arrangements and enforcement regimes for company law; to consider the respective roles for the parties responsible for compliance and enforcement, particularly the courts, the Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment, the Director of Public Prosecutions and the Registrar of Companies; to identify and evaluate the legislative, organisational and resource issues affecting compliance and enforcement; to make appropriate recommendations to address these issues; to examine and identify the resources and structures necessary to achieve a more frequent updating of companies legislation; to identify the cost and benefits involved in implementing its recommendations; and to report to the Tánaiste and to the Minister for Science, Technology and Commerce by 30 November 1998.
The working group, which was chaired by Mr. Michael McDowell, SC, now Attorney General, reported on 30 November 1998.
In February 2000, I set up the Company Law Review Group, CLRG, a group charged with developing proposals for the review and reform of company law. The group has been set up on an interim basis pending its being given a statutory existence on foot of the Company Law Enforcement Act 2001. Part 7 of this Act provides for the functions of the group and was brought into effect under SI.438. I am in the process of appointing the group on a statutory basis under Part 7 of the Act. The group is required to report at two yearly intervals and its first report is expected at the end of the year 2001.
The Report on E Commerce – The Policy Requirements, was published in July 1999, by Forfás at my request. The Implementation Group on the Forfás Report was set up in October 1999, to oversee the implementation of the recommendations in the report. The group has not published a progress report yet.
The eWork Action Forum was established to provide a focal point for the ongoing development of an environment which will stimulate telework-ework employment opportunities and ensure that this method of working achieves its full potential in contributing to economic growth and an improved quality of life. The forum was established on a non-statutory basis and it is not intended to establish it on a statutory basis.
The terms of reference of the forum are to monitor and evaluate progress in developing an environment in which teleworking can flourish; to monitor and evaluate progress in implementing the recommendations of the report of the NACT and refine recommendations if appropriate; to update and promote the code of practice on teleworking in conjunction with the social partners; to monitor legislation in the context of its impact on teleworking; to recommend and encourage relevant research; to gather relevant statistics and write reports; and to present an annual report to the Oireachtas each year.
On 15 May 2001 the forum presented its first annual report. The report covers the period since the forum's establishment, on 9 November 1999, to December 2001.
The eEurope 2002 Action Plan, was agreed by the European Council at Feira in June, 2000. The aim of the action plan is to increase Europe's competitiveness by exploiting the opportunities of the new digital economy and in particular the Internet.
The Interdepartmental eEurope Action Plan Group was set up in September 2000 to co-ordinate Ireland's implementation of the recommendations in the action plan. The group has not published a progress report yet.
Anad hoc group was established in 2000 to examine the issues involved in the transposition of article 7 of the Commerce Directive, which covers unsolicited commercial communications. The group includes representatives from the public and private sectors. The group is also examining the possibility of the adoption of a code of practice or guidelines to accompany the legislation giving effect to article 7 of the directive. The group has not completed its work yet and it has not reported.
On 22 February 2000 a timber industry development group was launched. The group, which is representative of the various industry interests, is expected to report before the end of 2001.
Its terms of reference are to assist in the achievement of the national forestry development strategy and to make recommendations for the optimum development of the industry sectors which process and market Irish wood and non-wood forest products; to identify the important economic, marketing, technical and infrastructure issues which will impact on the ability of the Irish forestry products industry to improve its international competitiveness; and to pursue a strategic focus as opposed to an operational approach and to make recommendations, as appropriate, to Government and industry bodies on the policies and actions required to improve competitiveness.
The Expert Group on Future Skill Needs was set up by the Government – the Tánaiste and Minister for Education and Science – in late 1997 as part of the business, education and training partnership. The objectives of the expert group are to identify, in a systematic way, the skills needs of different sectors and to advise on the actions needed to address them; to develop estimating techniques that will assist in anticipating the future; to advise on the promotion of education-continuous training links with business at national and local levels; to consider strategic issues in developing partnerships between business and the education-continuous training sectors in meeting the skills needs of business; and to advise on how to improve the awareness of job seekers of sectors where there are demands for skills, of the qualifications required, and of how they can be obtained.
Published reports to date are First Report of the Expert Group on Future Skills Needs, Second Report of the Expert Group on Future Skills Needs, Third Report of the Expert Group on Future Skills Needs, Report on e-Business Skills, Report on In-Company Training Benchmarking Mechanisms and Strategies to Attract Researchers to Ireland.
An interdepartmental group was established on modern biotechnology in March 1999 following Government approval. The group issued a report in October 2000. The group, however, is still in existence. The Government expressly requested the group to consider a range of issues including information dissemination on genetic engineering, the case for a national biotechnology ethical committee, and future policy and administrative co-ordination on genetic engineering.
The work of the Standing Committee on the Labour Market – formerly known as the P2000 Standing Committee on the Labour Market as outlined in Framework IV of the Programme for Prosperity and Fairness, is ongoing. The committee is a continuation of a process established under the Partnership 2000 Agreement.
The PPF contains a commitment to review the underlying methodology and existing targets of the national anti-poverty strategy, NAPS, and to consider new targets in consultation with the social partners. The NAPS Employment-Unemployment Committee was established in February 2001 and completed its report in July 2001. Its terms of reference were as follows: low paid employment – to assess and make recommendations from the NAPS perspective on how best to improve progression prospects at the lower end of the employment scale, having regard to work being carried out by the lifelong learning task force the priority accorded to adult learning in the Department of Education and Science, and to the outcome of the Department of Social, Community and Family Affairs Employability Study and other relevant information; disincentives to employment and training – to examine the extent to which there may still be disincentives to employment and training, including secondary benefits, having regard to work already carried out, and to make recommendations; and cross cutting issues – to address the cross cutting poverty issues relating to children, women, older people, and ethnic minorities as an emerging cause of poverty, to the extent that such are considered by the working group to be germane to the above mentioned issues relating to low paid employment and secondary benefits.
The Social Economy National Monitoring Committee under the chair of this Department was set up in late 1999 in accordance with the Government decision to introduce a dedicated social economy programme.
Its terms of reference were to devise and agree a framework document for the operation of the social economy programme; to oversee the development and implementation of the social economy programme; to monitor and evaluate the achievement of the objectives of the programme as set out in the framework document; to provide policy advice to Government organisations on the development of the social economy sector.
The monitoring committee agreed the framework document for the operation of the social economy programme in mid 2000.
As provided for under the national development plan, my Department is the designated managing authority for the Employment and Human Resources Operational Programme. The operational programme is overseen by a monitoring committee established on 10 October 2000 by Commission decision and is chaired by my Department. The committee has decision-making powers in the case of European Social Fund part-funded activity. This committee has met on 28 November 2000, 5 April 2001 and is due to meet again on 25 October 2001. It is a non-statutory committee and has agreed its own rules of procedure, in accordance with the provisions of both the national development plan and the Community Support Framework agreed with the European Commission.
The terms of reference for the committee are contained in the Employment and Human Resources Development Operational Programme, 2000-2006. After each meeting, the committee reports to the national development plan or Community Support Framework monitoring committee.
As provided for in the national development plan, my Department chairs a horizontal Employment and Human Resources Development Co-Ordinating Committee to monitor European Social Fund part-funded activity and related employment or labour market interests. The committee was established on the 10 October 2000 by Commission decision and its terms of reference are contained in the Employment and Human Resources Development Operational Programme, 2000-2006. This committee has met on 2 May 2000 and is due to meet again on 8 November 2001. The role of the committee is to consider key policy issues and actions in the relevant employment and labour market. The committee does not have a decision-making role and is non-statutory. After each meeting the committee reports to the national development plancommunity support framework monitoring committee.
My Department is the designated managing authority for the EQUAL Community Initiative Programme – CIP. The CIP is overseen by a monitoring committee, which was established in May 2001 and is chaired by my Department. The committee has decision-making powers in the case of European Social Fund part-funded activity. It is a non-statutory committee and has agreed its own rules of procedure in accordance with ESF Regulations and the CIP as agreed with the EU Commission.
A Task Force on Lifelong Learning was established in February 2000, in collaboration with the Department of Education and Science, as provided for under Framework IV of the Programme for Prosperity and Fairness. The task force had its first meeting on 18 February 2000. The key steps to be followed by the task force were to identify existing lifelong learning providers and programme provision; to map existing provision in terms of its adequacy or cover; and to identify, propose and cost priority actions on lifelong learning, based on expanding or modifying existing provision or the development of new initiatives, with particular reference to the achievement of the objectives set out in the programme and to the identification and resolution of implementation issues arising. The work of the task force is still ongoing.
A mainstreaming forum to capture, disseminate and build upon the outcomes of the employment initiative was established in November 1998. The work of the forum concluded in the first quarter of 2000. No report was issued.
In addition to the above there are a number of internal administrative committees established from time to time to enhance the functioning of my Department, for example, the Department's partnership committee, and its various House committees.
