Dáil Éireann díospóireacht -
Thursday, 29 Mar 1990

Vol. 397 No. 7

Written Answers. - European Information Exchange.

Michael D. Higgins

Ceist:

54 Mr. M. Higgins asked the Minister for Social Welfare if he has any plans to develop a Europe-wide social welfare information exchange in the context of his Presidency of the European Council of Welfare Ministers; and if he will make a statement on the matter.

Minister for Social Welfare (Dr. Woods)

As part of my Presidency of Social Affairs Ministers I have undertaken to promote the convergence of objectives and policies in the social welfare systems of the various member states of the Community. This will be one of the main subjects for discussion at an informal meeting of Ministers for Social Security to be held by me under the Irish Presidency on 26 and 27 April next. The exchange of information and experiences on the effectiveness of social protection systems in the various member states is an essential element of such a strategy.

Information is already available on the social welfare systems of the Community countries in the comparative tables of the social security schemes in the member states of the European Communities which is published by the European Commission every two years. These tables constitute a source of very useful information which permits a comparison to be made between the essential components of the various systems.

Although these tables have been regarded as a considerable success, the European Commission has recently concluded that the range of information available in them is too limited and that they need to be updated more frequently. The Commission is making arrangements to devise a new and more detailed analysis of the social welfare systems throughout the Community. My Department are co-operating actively with the Commission in this initiative. The new system in this regard being developed on behalf of the Commission is likely to be discussed by Ministers in the context of our meeting in April.