Richard Bruton
Ceist:10 Mr. R. Bruton asked the Minister for Enterprise and Employment if he has prepared a submission for the National Economic and Social Forum on unemployment; and if he will make a statement on the matter.
Ceisteanna — Questions. Oral Answers. - Submission on Unemployment.
Jim Higgins
Ceist:102 Mr. J. Higgins asked the Minister for Enterprise and Employment whether he has prepared a submission for presentation to the National Economic and Social Forum on the subject of unemployment; and if he will make a statement on the matter.
I propose to take Questions Nos. 10 and 102 together.
Deputies will be aware of the terms of reference of the National Economic and Social Forum which include the mandate to develop economic and social policy initiatives, particularly initiatives to combat unemployment and to contribute to the formation of a national consensus on social and economic matters. I regard this work as of the utmost importance.
To date I have not personally prepared a formal submission to the forum on the subject of unemployment. Deputies will be aware, however that the Government is represented on the forum by the Minister of State at the Office of the Tánaiste, Deputy Eithne Fitzgerald. I am maintaining contact with the Tánaiste's office on the work of the forum and expect that, as the forum requires, I will be making submissions on various issues to assist the forum in the very important work in which it is engaged. Officials of my Department and its agencies have maintained contact with the secretariat of the forum to assist in their work in any way possible and this will continue. Yesterday, for example, FÁS made a detailed submission to the forum on measures to deal with long term unemployment.
Is the Minister aware that the virtually unanimous belief of members of the National Economic and Social Forum is that current policy is failing and will not trickle down to tackle the problems of long term unemployment? Would he not agree that the onus is on him, as Minister for Enterprise and Employment, to submit to public scrutiny proposals by a group of people drawn from every sector of our community to tackle this problem? Is it not unrealistic to assume or believe that those people alone can produce ideas? Would he not agree that this is a question of dialogue and, as the Minister never tires of saying, partnership? Would he not agree that the onus is on his Department to submit its proposals to scrutiny by that forum?
I fail to understand what the Deputy wants. The forum was set up in response to a request for a wider context within which people who were directly affected by unemployment, in particular organisations and groups representing the long term unemployed, would have a forum within which they could express their voices. It would be the height of interference and arrogance for us to give a view before they furnished theirs to us. They only recently published their first report to which we will respond.
Is the Minister aware that the forum requested submissions from all parties, including himself as representative of the Government, on the issue of unemployment and that the Government was silent? Would he agree that the submission by FÁS did not represent Government policy and that it was simply an explanation of schemes already in place?
To expect an instant solution to a very complex problem is to fly——
We are not expecting instant solutions.
The Deputy should allow the Minister to respond.
Has the Minister made his submission?
——in the face of the Culliton conclusion that there were no quick fixes. We have just received the initial report from the forum to which we will give a measured and considered response. That is the correct way to proceed. In time they will get a comprehensive and complete set of proposals from my Department——
Very good.
——in relation to the issues which they first raised and first articulated.
The Minister was asked for his submission and he did not make it.