Dáil Éireann díospóireacht -
Thursday, 23 Jan 1997

Vol. 473 No. 5

Written Answers. - Single European Currency.

Pat the Cope Gallagher

Ceist:

82 Mr. Gallagher (Donegal South-West) asked the Minister for Finance whether moneys will be made available for a dual pricing campaign in the run-up to the introduction of a single European currency in Ireland; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [1893/97]

Pat the Cope Gallagher

Ceist:

86 Mr. Gallagher (Donegal South-West) asked the Minister for Finance the financial allocations, if any, which have been made for consumer information campaigns on the introduction of a single European currency in Ireland; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [1822/97]

Minister for Finance (Mr. Quinn)

I propose to take Questions Nos. 82 and 86 together.

Economic and monetary union (EMU) will begin on 1 January 1999 and the single currency, the euro, will come into being on that date. National notes and coins will continue in circulation: euro notes and coins will be introduced by 1 January 2002 at the latest and, with their introduction, national notes and coins will begin to be withdrawn, with the changeover being completed within six months at most.

As regards public information, in December last I launched a national information programme on economic and monetary union and the changeover to the euro with the Ministers for Enterprise and Employment and Tourism and Trade. The programme will be in phases, designed to correspond with the phases of the changeover and to provide information in a timely way. The first phase will run to the end of this year and will focus mainly on provision of information to help businesses prepare themselves for the changeover. Forfás, the policy and advisory board for industrial development, is running a business awareness campaign to this end. The national information programme will be reviewed in the second half of 1997, when the question of broadening its focus will be considered.

It is estimated that the first phase of the programme will cost £300,000. The European Commission has indicated that it is willing to fund half this figure, i.e. £150,000. A sum of £70,000 has been included in my Department's 1997 estimates towards the cost of the national information programme in 1997, and the remainder of the cost ie £80,000, will be borne by Forfás.

As regards dual pricing, the Deputy may recall that around the time of the Dublin European Council, Euro Week was organised on my behalf by EAN Ireland, the organisation which sets the standards for article numbering, bar coding etc, and the Licensed Vintners Association. As part of Euro Week, up to 10,000 posters featuring prices in euro and in Irish pounds (at a notional rate of one euro equal to 80 pence, an illustrative rate chosen for ease of calculation), were distributed to groceries, supermarkets etc, nationwide; also, some 250 publicans in Dublin were invited to display prices in euro and Irish pounds at the same notional rate. The costs of Euro Week were borne by EAN Ireland and the Licensed Vintners Association.

The Deputy presumably has in mind, however, the display of dual prices during the changeover to the euro. Given the timescale I have outlined, the Deputy will appreciate that dual pricing in euro and Irish pounds could not become a reality for some time. I understand that the issue of dual pricing is being considered by the European Commission but that no proposals have emerged to date. Of course, if it is decided that dual prices are required to be displayed, it will be a matter for retailers to comply with this requirement. In such circumstances, appropriate public information will be made available in good time to all relevant parties.