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National Economic and Social Council

Dáil Éireann Debate, Wednesday - 16 December 2020

Wednesday, 16 December 2020

Questions (14, 15)

Richard Boyd Barrett

Question:

14. Deputy Richard Boyd Barrett asked the Taoiseach if he has read the recent NESC publication entitled The Position of the Self-Employed. [42006/20]

View answer

Richard Boyd Barrett

Question:

15. Deputy Richard Boyd Barrett asked the Taoiseach if he has read the recent NESC publication entitled Housing Policy: Actions to Deliver Change. [42007/20]

View answer

Written answers

I propose to take Questions Nos. 14 and 15 together.

I have read the reports and as is the usual practice, they were considered and approved by Government prior to publication. Both of these reports were published by NESC in November, 2020.

The National Economic and Social Council is an independent statutory agency operating under the aegis of my Department.

The Terms of Reference and composition of the NESC are set out in legislation - the National Economic and Social Development Act, 2006, and in the National Economic and Social Council (Alteration of Composition) Order, 2010.

The role of the Council is to analyse and report to the Government on strategic policy issues relating to sustainable economic, social and environmental development in Ireland.

The Council can consider these matters either on its own initiative or at the request of the Taoiseach. The Council’s reports are then submitted to the Government prior to publication and may inform Government policy.

NESC Report No. 150 – Housing Policy Actions to Deliver Change - examines how to bring about the fundamental change required to move to a permanently affordable, stable and more sustainable system of housing. It focuses on two critical and deeply connected gaps: supply and affordability.

The publication “Position of the Self-Employed” is a background paper to NESC Report No. 151 – The Future of the Welfare State. It provides additional empirical and analytical material to the main report and outlines key challenges facing the economies and societies of welfare states in Europe and other developed countries.

Implementation of Government policy remains the responsibility of individual Departments. In the case of issues arising in these NESC reports this would be the Department of Housing, Local Government and Heritage and the Department of Social Protection.

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