asked the Minister for Finance if the consultations with all interested parties concerning the Government's proposals for the setting up of the National Economic Council have been completed; and if he will make a statement on the matter.
Ceisteanna—Questions. Oral Answers. - National Economic Council.
22.
The basic purpose in attempting to establish a National Economic Council was to allow a wider spectrum of the community to participate in the formulation of national economic policy. The NIEC, who were consulted in the matter, took the same view. The Government also considered that if the new council were properly to fulfil its role as a consultative body, competent to give independent advice to the Government on economic policy, membership of the council would be incompatible with membership of either House of the Oireachtas.
Following the termination of the mandate of the NIEC in January, 1971, a draft constitution and terms of reference were discussed with interested bodies over a period of some months and was finally agreed to by all parties except the Irish Congress of Trade Unions, who did not find it possible to agree to the non-political character of the proposed council. Congress have, accordingly, withheld their agreement to the constitution and terms of reference of the council and have declined to participate in its operation.
As there would be little practical value in a National Economic Council which did not include ICTU representation, the Government do not intend to proceed further with the proposal.
May I put it to the Minister that it is a very serious state of affairs that for six months or thereabouts this impasse has been permitted to continue between the Government and the Irish Congress of Trade Unions concerning the composition of the national economic council? Is there any hope that the Minister might decide to have direct discussions with the congress representatives to resolve this matter? As the Minister knows perfectly well, the Northern Ireland Economic Council is not regarded as being of a political character. Members of the Northern Ireland Senate, for example, who are also trade union officials, are members of the council. I would strongly urge the Minister to reconsider the matter.
I regret that this situation has come about. I was certainly anxious to avoid it but I am afraid the Deputy's suggestion is not as useful as he might think in the light of the following facts. On 16th December last a letter was written to the various interested organisations which said, in effect, that in response to a suggestion from one of the organisations concerned a meeting could be held, arranged between the parties concerned, to see if there was any way out of the difficulty which had been encountered in establishing the council. On 14th January last the ICTU executive council replied that they could not see any useful purpose being served by such a meeting. In the light of this, I fear the Deputy's suggestion would not advance the position any further. I was anxious, certainly, to explore any possibility that existed of getting around the difficulty but, apparently, the ICTU take the view that there is no way because they have taken the decision for their own good reasons. They are quite entitled to take the decision they took but, having taken it, they do not seem to feel it is worthwhile to get the parties together to see if there is any way around the difficulty. That being so, I cannot do anything further.
There were two Senators on the executive of the Irish Congress of Trade Unions, the late Senator James Dunne and Senator Fintan Kennedy. The Minister must appreciate that this, in effect, is debarring such persons if they were nominated by the congress. There is also Senator Norman Kennedy from Northern Ireland. I strongly urge the Minister in view of the urgency and the imminence of international free trade, to have another look at the situation. I think congress would be only too anxious to co-operate——
I made every effort to avoid the development of this situation and, certainly, I do not think I could be accused of having pushed it or of having taken a very aggressive attitude on it. I was anxious to find a way around the difficulty but, as I have indicated, it does not seem to be possible to do so. While what the Deputy has said is true, it is also true that all of the other organisations concerned, who might well in certain circumstances have considered nominating members of either House of the Oireachtas, accepted that they would not do so in the interests of ensuring that there was no ambiguity about the question of the independent nature of the advice that would be tendered. Every other organisation found it possible to do so, but the ICTU did not. That is the position.
Question No. 23.
I think the matter could be solved and I would urge the Minister——
If the matter can be solved, I shall be only too happy.