Bernard J. Durkan
Ceist:51 Mr. Durkan asked the Minister for Finance whether a public information or education programme is planned in preparation for the introduction of the euro; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [17417/98]
Written Answers. - Euro Changeover.
As Deputies will recall, last May I launched the Euro Changeover Board of Ireland. The board has two basic tasks: to oversee the detailed implementation of the changeover to the euro, and to provide public and consumer information. My Department provides the chairperson of and secretariat to the board.
A substantial public information campaign, designed to run in phases, was launched in June this year. The first phase consisted of advertising on television, national and local radio and in newspapers, both national and provincial. An information leaflet on the euro was delivered to every household in the country, involving a drop of about 1.3 million leaflets, and over 80,000 posters, showing the changeover timetable and pictures of the euro notes and coins, were distributed to schools, libraries and public offices.
The public information campaign forms part of the national information programme. The other elements of the programme are the Forfás EMU Business Awareness Campaign and a programme of information activities on the euro operated by non-governmental organisations.
Forfás runs the EMU Business Awareness Campaign. To date, the campaign has distributed over 41,000 copies of its detailed information pack to the business sector, over 92,000 copies of a planning leaflet targeted at SMEs and 12,000 copies of a comprehensive guide on information technology. It has used company awareness surveys to help focus its message, which it also conveys by means of radio and press advertising and regional seminars. The campaign also publishes a quarterly newsletterEurochange which has a circulation of around 20,000. In addition, it maintains a campaign website which includes all the documents in its information pack.
As regards non-governmental organisations, a total of 26 NGO bodies have been approved for EU funding totalling £200,000 in respect of planned information activities this year on the euro. These bodies include organisations representing consumers, community, elderly and women's groups, trade unions and trade and professional associations. The ECBI secretariat is administering, on behalf of the European Commission, the EU funding in respect of these projects.
The board has a particular concern that groups with special needs should be catered for. Towards this end, the ECBI has established a consultative panel composed of the main organisations representing groups with special needs, such as older people, people with disabilities, those with literacy problems and travellers. The purpose of the panel is to inform the ECBI about the special information needs of these groups, to advise the ECBI on how best to address these needs and to help channel information to these groups and those they represent. The secretariat is working on information initiatives for these groups: for example, a spoken-word version of the information leaflet for households has been produced in conjunction with the National Council for the Blind.
Following the information campaign in June, the ECBI commissioned a national survey to monitor the level of knowledge of the changeover to the euro. The survey results have helped to tailor the ECBI's information campaign for the rest of the year. A second phase of the information campaign is now under way and will include advertising in the print media in November. A further campaign will run in January 1999.
The ECBI has also commissioned an information video on the euro which will be launched in November and will be widely circulated. The ECBI is also part-sponsoring a series of six television programmes,Living with the euro, which will commence screening on RTE later in October. The programmes will feature interviews and discussions about a wide variety of issues involving the euro. It is also hoped to further promote the euro on both radio and television over the coming months.
In addition, I launched the ECBI website — www. irlgov. ie/ecbi-euro — in September. Included on the website are pictures of the euro notes and coins, the timetable for the introduction of the euro, the second edition of the national changeover plan and the recently enacted Economic and Monetary Union Act, 1998. There is also a section for schools. The ECBI also has a page in the public information network on the Aertel service on RTE. The page may be accessed on RTE 1, page 678. Plans are under way for information briefings for nationally-representative groups which in turn will then use their networks to further disseminate information on the euro.
A high priority is attached to ensuring that civil and public servants are familiar with the euro. Towards this end, the ECBI has already run briefing sessions for trainers in the Civil Service and is now running similar sessions for trainers in the public service, on foot of which they in turn will brief the staff of their own organisations.
The ECBI is assisting the Department of Education and Science in preparing material for schools on the euro. An information leaflet on the euro and its implications for their work has been prepared and will be issued shortly to schools. This will be followed early in 1999 by guidelines detailing the curricular areas where teaching on the euro might usefully be introduced into the classroom.
Finally, forthcoming publications include a third edition of Ireland's "National Changeover Plan" (due to be published in November) and an update of a detailed leaflet on EMU. A frequently-asked questions and answers leaflet is also being prepared. A further phase of the publicity campaign will of course be run in January to help familiarise the public with the conversion rate between the euro and the Irish pound, which will be fixed on 1 January 1999, and to help establish a scale of values in euro.