Vol. 442 No. 3
1 Mr. Rabbittee asked the asked the Taoiseach, in view of the commitment he gave in the introduction to the Programme for Competitiveness and Work, 1994-1999, the steps, if any he has taken or plans to take to ensure that the impact of the programme on equality is monitored on a continuing basis; and if he will make a statement on the matter.
2 Mr. J. Higgins asked the Taoiseach if any meeting has taken place by the central review committee of the Programme for Competitiveness and Work; if so, if any adjustments have been discussed; and if he will make a statement on the matter.
I propose to take Questions Nos. 1 and 2 together.
The first meeting of the Central Review Committee under the Programme for Competitiveness and Work took place on 21 April 1994.
The meeting received a briefing from the ESRI on their recently published medium-term review and discussed the issues to be addressed in structuring the work of the CRC in monitoring the achievement of the targets and objectives of the programme. In the latter context, the meeting, having regard to the statement on the matter in my introduction to the programme, agreed that the impact of the programme on equality would be monitored by the CRC as an integral part of the committee's ongoing role under the programme. As such, the impact of the programme on equality will be addressed in reports prepared by the CRC from time to time. This monitoring role does not diminish in any way the specific responsibilities of the Minister for Equality and Law Reform for policy on equality matters generally.
Will the Taoiseach put some specific questions concerning the monitoring of equality to the Central Review Committee? Does he agree, for example, that the answer to Question No. 4, without anticipating it, is unlikely to show much of an improvement on the gap between male and female earnings? It has been shown recently that women are on 62 per cent of male earnings. Does he agree that there is a necessity to revamp the whole area of equality legislation, particularly equal pay legislation? Will specific questions such as this be considered by the Central Review Committee and recommendations made for legislation in this House?
The primary purpose of the Central Review Committee is to monitor the progress of the Programme for Competitiveness and Work. Some of the issues raised by Deputy Rabbitte certainly can be taken up by the Central Review Committee with all the social partners but I do not wish to take away from the role of the Minister for Equality and Law Reform in legislating for those areas.
My question relates to whether any adjustments have been discussed. In view of the fact that the Programme for Competitiveness and Work is inextricably bound up with the National Development Plan — Chapter 15 states: “Action to meet the challenge of work will be pursued through the National Development Plan”——
I must dissuade the Deputy from quoting.
——and there are other references to this throughout the plan, and in view of the fact that the Structural Funds are considerably less than what the Taoiseach told us following the Edinburgh Summit in December 1992, what adjustments have been made, what projects are being scaled down and what is the new timetable of action?
I have answered this question a number of times in this House. The Government is fully committed to the implementation of the National Development Plan. The draft Community Support Framework was received by the Department of Finance late last week and is now being made available to all Government Departments involved in the National Plan to allow them make their comments on it before returning it. Once that is done we can get on with implementing the many projects that are involved in the plan. All of these projects will be implemented; some of them may have a longer timescale than envisaged in the plan but all are there for implementation.
Is the Taoiseach aware that, whereas in 1980 only three out of every 100 workers were unemployed for over a year or more, at the present time ten out of every 100 workers are unemployed for over a year or more? Will he agree that none of the schemes adopted by the Government nor economic growth is actually having any impact on chronic long term unemployment and that a radical approach is needed if these people are to be assisted in making the contribution of which they are capable?
The problem of long term unemployment is serious, not only for this country but for other European countries. Unemployment has been growing at a steady pace over recent years but do not accept that implementation of the national plan and the Programme for Competitiveness and Work will have no effect on the long term unemployed. On the contrary, local development schemes, community development work and many of the developments and initiatives which will be taken under the plan, such as the extension to 32 of the Programme for Economic and Social Progress companies which were successful on a pilot basis under the last programme, will have an impact on the long term unemployed. We need to continue to work on this serious problem. Economic growth will also have an effect and we must follow the approach of European countries in retraining people and giving them new skills as the jobs which they left may be obsolete.
I have an obligation to the Deputies who tabled these questions.
I wish to come back to the question.
Does the Taoiseach accept that for every ten workers there are nine dependants and that this programme will increase the dependency rate? Does he consider it was a mistake to agree to pay unsustainable levels given the level of unemployment and not to include the organisation for the unemployed in the negotiations on this programme?
I regard politicians, the Congress of Trade Unions and others as representing the unemployed in any negotiations on the national programme. I am surprised the Deputy is one of the few people not looking forward positively to the economic growth projected in the ESRI report and by many other commentators.
Does the Taoiseach accept that equality is not just a gender issue? Is it part of the remit of the Central Review Committee to look at the more serious inequality in unemployment? Does he accept that even if the most optimistic forecast of the ESRI were realised 200,000 people would be unemployed at the end of the decade and would, indisputably, include the 100,000 people referred to by Deputy Bruton? In so far as the issue relates to gender, will the Central Review Committee consider the complaints of the 7,000 or perhaps more women who were denied their transitional payments by this Government?
There is a wide extension of this question.
It is an equality issue.
I must dissuade Members of the notion that they may debate unemployment and so on at Question Time, they may not.
The question of transitional payments is expressly one of equality which stems from a directive introduced in the mid-1980s. More than 7,000 women have not been paid their entitlements.
The Deputy has made his point.
Will the Central Review Committee make a recommendation to Government on this and will it be given serious expression in the House?
The Deputy is well aware that the issue he raised is not appropriate to the Central Review Committee but a matter for the Government and the courts. In the programme on equality there are specific measures in the section on social equality relating to gender equality, equality in employment, training and education, equal status and the job potential of child care services. It has a wider implication than gender as the Deputy rightly said.
The Taoiseach said the various Government schemes were impacting on unemployment. Is he aware a recent study showed that only one in ten of the long term unemployed in any given year is offered either a FÁS training scheme or work scheme? The other nine are not offered anything. Three-quarters of the unemployed are unskilled males; half have no qualification and two-thirds are classified as heads of households which means their dependent children suffer as a result of their unemployment? In other words, the problem is multiplied. Will he agree that while the Programme for Economic and Social Progress may have been a success in other areas it was a complete failure as far as the long term unemployed are concerned?
The Deputy's question is too long.
Has he any evidence to suggest that the Programme for Competitiveness and Work which is based on the Programme for Economic and Social Progress has any chance of doing better?
The Deputy is aware that there are many reasons for long term unemployment which is a serious problem not only in this economy but in other developed economies. In Europe, unemployment is growing and 19 million people are affected. There are many long term unemployed who need new skills. The Programme for Competitiveness and Work will make a substantial contribution towards making and keeping this economy competitive. For the first time since 1990, there has been a reduction in the number unemployed. The figures for the first three months of this year — and the monthly figure due out next month — will confirm this. We look forward to a continuing downward trend in unemployment figures. Our policies are having an effect and we would like to accelerate that but no single policy initiative will solve long term unemployment. The Deputy knows that. We will continue through a variety of programmes and initiatives to try to impact on it and if the Deputy has anything further to add to the number of initiatives we are taking I will be glad to hear from him.
There is a tendency to debate matters and I must bring these questions to a conclusion shortly.
Is the Taoiseach aware that a new inequality has been created under the community employment scheme whereby deserted wives and widows are prevented from taking up this scheme but lone parents are allowed avail of it? Is it not extraordinary that deserted married women are barred from the scheme——
Many of the matters raised are issues worthy of separate questions.
——while unmarried women are able to avail of it? Will the review committee deal with this? The question deals with inequality.
I would prefer if the Deputy tabled a question on the matter.
Why did the Taoiseach fail to say why the Programme for Economic and Social Progress was a complete failure as far as the long term unemployed are concerned?
That is repetition.
Pure repetition.
I am looking for an answer.
I have already answered. The Deputy knows the Programme for Economic and Social Progress made a significant contribution towards sheltering the economy and nursing it through the difficult world recession.
What about the people who have no jobs?
Will the Taoiseach give a commitment that, in future, when programmes such as this are negotiated, the organisation which specifically represents the unemployed will be included?
I have already said I regard politicians and the Congress of Trade Unions as representing the unemployed. They deal with a variety of unemployment centres——
We were not involved.
——and I do not accept the suggestion that apart from one organisation no one else has any concern for the unemployed.
Question No. 3 has been postponed.
