Vol. 491 No. 5
8 Mr. Quinn asked the Minister for Foreign Affairs if he will list the meetings of the European Council of Ministers at which the Government has been represented by a Minister or Minister of State in the past two months; the meetings at which the Government has been represented by the permanent representative; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [9868/98]
In the past two months, since 28 March 1998, there have been three substantive meetings of the General Affairs Council. These meetings took place on 30-31 March, 27 April and 25 May.
I represented Ireland at the General Affairs Council on 27 April and 25 May. As regards the 30-31 March General Affairs Council, Ireland was represented by Minister of State Kitt and Minister of State Fahey.
In addition to these three substantive meetings, the General Affairs Council met once in special session in the margins of the World Trade Organisation Meeting in Geneva on 18 May. On that occasion, Minister of State Kitt, who has responsibility for international trade, represented Ireland.
I am arranging to send the Deputy a list of Council meetings in all formations, totalling 23 in number, over the past two months. Included in the list, in addition to the Council meetings to which I have just referred, is a Special Council meeting on EMU, which was held in Brussels on 2-3 May, exceptionally at the level of Heads of State or Government. Ireland was represented on that occasion by the Taoiseach, who was accompanied by the Minister for Finance, Deputy McCreevy, and Minister of State Fahey.
The Council in formations other than the General Affairs Council also met on a number of other occasions during the period, including ECOFIN, which the Minister for Finance attended on 21 April, 1 May, 3 May and 19 May. The Minister for Agriculture and Food participated in the meetings of the Agriculture Council on 31 March, 20-21 April and 25-26 May. There were four occasions on which Ireland was represented at official level: the Social Affairs Council on 7 April, the Health Council on 30 April, the Internal Market Council on 18 May, and the Culture and Audiovisual Affairs Council today, 28 May.
Is the Minister happy that Ireland gets the best possible representation without ministerial participation or would it be more desirable that a Minister be present at all the meetings?
Yes, I think it is important that senior or junior Ministers represent the country at all meetings. However, where the ministerial seat is empty, the quality and depth of knowledge of those officials who sit in the ministerial seat is quite extraordinary. This country would not be disadvantaged by their presence.
I take the point, in principle, that a political presence should be there as often as possible. Sometimes it is not possible, and so be it.
Would the Minister acknowledge that the procedure at the outset of meetings of the General Affairs Council, for example, which is the most senior council outside of the European Council because it has a sort of a supervisory role as well as the role for foreign ministers, is that the list of A points and the list of B points are agreed. Then what is discussed over lunch and even over coffee at lunch is agreed so that Ministers in private can bear their souls, have open exchanges and discuss things which they cannot discuss in a more open forum. This sort of discussion can only take place where it is a discussion between equals, where Ministers meet Ministers. Therefore, sending a civil servant, even if it is the permanent representative, to a meeting of that kind is frowned upon by other Ministers because they expect to be able to talk in a collegial fashion to other colleagues.
A brief question, Deputy.
Would the Minister agree, therefore, that the absence of Ministers from the General Affairs Council in particular, where the usual procedure is for the Minister for Foreign Affairs to be accompanied by a Minister for European Affairs, is to be avoided at all costs because of the nature of decisionmaking there?
I ask the Minister for a brief answer as there is an Order of the House.
I assure the Deputy that it is avoided at all costs. It never happens and it never will happen. The difficulty I had in relation to the one meeting I missed in the context of the question was that I was involved in the Northern Peace Process, but that is more the exception than the rule. I now have a panel of colleagues who will represent me if Minister of State O'Donnell, who is an extremely busy person and has her own remit, is not available. In such cases, I can and do call on the assistance and aid of other competent and co-operative colleagues.
Written Answers follow Adjournment Debate.
