Dáil Éireann díospóireacht -
Tuesday, 9 Dec 1997

Vol. 484 No. 3

Written Answers. - Employment Creation.

Proinsias De Rossa

Ceist:

33 Proinsias De Rossa asked the Tánaiste and Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment the specific new job creation or training proposals, if any, it is intended to bring forward arising from the special EU Jobs Summit in Luxembourg on 21 November 1997; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [21982/97]

Ruairí Quinn

Ceist:

109 Mr. Quinn asked the Tánaiste and Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment the way in which she will translate into action, by her Department, ideas and suggestions developed by the EU conference on long-term unemployment; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [22035/97]

Tánaiste and Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment (Miss Harney)

I propose to take Questions Nos. 33 and 109 together.

The EU Commission is currently revisiting its draft of the employment guidelines following the deliberations of EU Heads of State at the Extraordinary European Council Meeting on Employment in Luxembourg. The revised guidelines will then be submitted for final adoption at a forthcoming EU Social Affairs Council. At that point the member states will be required to prepare action plans indicating how they intend to implement the guidelines. The objective will be to have those plans finalised in sufficient time to enable a first round evaluation to be completed and reported at the Cardiff Summit next June.

The measures and initiatives we propose to take to meet the guidelines will be determined as the action plan is developed — a process which I would expect will commence in the immediate post-Christmas period.