25 Nov 2013, 10:12
The Oireachtas Joint Committee on European Union Affairs meets tomorrow to further consider the social dimension to European Economic and Monetary Union (EMU) with a leading economist, a prominent anti-poverty campaigner, and representatives of young people and business.
Those addressing the Committee tomorrow include:
Professor Tim Callan, Associate Research Professor, ESRI;
Philip O’Connor, Chairperson, European Anti-Poverty Network Ireland;
James Doorley, Deputy Director, National Youth Council of Ireland, and
Tony Donohoe, Head of Education, Innovation and Social Policy, IBEC
Chairman of the Committee Dominic Hannigan TD says: “This series of hearings come on foot of growing debate at European level that social indicators should play a greater role in EMU. A recent European Commission Communication on the subject outlined how employment levels and social challenges might form part of the formal economic surveillance reports associated with EMU. Last week, the Committee heard the perspectives of the European Commission, the Irish Congress of Trade Unions, the Irish National Organisation for the Unemployed and Social Justice Ireland on the topic.
“The Commission has confirmed its support for a scoreboard of employment and social indicators, an idea initially discussed during the Irish Presidency earlier in the year. Such indicators include the unemployment and youth unemployment rates, the changes in disposable income levels of households, the at-risk-of-poverty rate and inequality. Tomorrow we will hear the valuable perspectives of the ESRI, the EAPN, NYCI and Ibec on the topic. The views expressed will inform a political contribution by the Committee to the European Institutions on the value of social indicators. ”
The meeting takes place tomorrow Tuesday 26 November at 2 pm in Committee Room 2, Leinster House 2000. Committee proceedings can be followed here.
Media enquiries to:
Paul Hand,
Communications Unit,
Houses of the Oireachtas,
Leinster House,
Dublin 2
P: +3531 618 4484
M: +353 87 694 9926
Committee Membership
Deputies: Eric Byrne, Seán Crowe, Timmy Dooley, Bernard J. Durkan, John Halligan, Dominic Hannigan (Chair), Seán Kyne, Dara Murphy (Vice-Chair) and Joe O’Reilly
Senators: Colm Burke, John Kelly, Terry Leyden, Catherine Noone and Kathryn Reilly