Dáil Éireann díospóireacht -
Wednesday, 4 Jul 2001

Vol. 540 No. 2

Written Answers. - Euro Changeover.

Derek McDowell

Ceist:

58 Mr. McDowell asked the Minister for Social, Community and Family Affairs the efforts under way at his Department to assist social welfare recipients, particularly pensioners and people with literacy and numeracy difficulties, to deal with the changeover to the Euro; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [20093/01]

Minister for Social, Community and Family Affairs (Mr. D. Ahern)

The introduction of the new euro currency from 1 January next marks one of the most significant events of our membership of the European Community. From an information perspective, it presents us with a major challenge to ensure that all our citizens are aware of the changeover and the implications for themselves in their personal situations.

I want to assure the Deputy and the House that my Department's preparations for the change-over to Euro are progressing satisfactorily. All social welfare customers will automatically be paid in euro from 1 January next when their payments will be converted to euro and, if necessary, will be adjusted upwards to the nearest 10 cent amounts to the customer's advantage. Up to 31 December 2001, of course, payments will continue to issue in Irish pounds.

My Department's public awareness campaign is being developed in close consultation with the Euro Changeover Board of Ireland and is paying particular attention to the needs of the hardest to reach categories, such as people with literacy difficulties. In that regard, my Department has met with a number of organisations representing special needs groups so as to take account of their views and further meetings with those organisations are planned over the coming months.

The public awareness campaign which will be concentrated in the second half of this year, will utilise a range of media – print, radio and electronic – to get the euro message across.

Among the events that have already taken place as part of the campaign are the following: an information leaflet entitled "Social Welfare and the Euro" was published in February 1999; letters issuing to long-term claimants, including pensioners, qualifying for their pension for the first time include the amount payable in both punt and euro; the mailshot which issued to all households last month included information on the euro; this publication is also available in both Braille and audio cassette on request; a new information leaflet entitled "Social Welfare, The Euro and You" which was launched last month is designed to inform our customers about the change-over and to reassure the general public that no social welfare customer will be worse off as a result of the change-over process.

Child benefit books showing the euro rates are in circulation since March this year and, from the renewal date in June 2001, all child benefit books include orders payable in euro from January 2002.

The following elements of the public awareness campaign are planned for the second half of the year: Euro-inclusive payable order books for other schemes will be issuing at various stages throughout the year, for example, lone parents in August and pensioners in October – in addition, the back cover of all payable order books will display relevant Euro information; a euro-specific mailshot will issue to all social welfare customers, probably in early November, giving specific information on how the change-over affects their payments; my Department will establish a freephone Euro helpline to handle customer queries from mid-December this year and into the dual circulation period next year; seminars will be held in conjunction with the ECBI, commencing in Dundalk on 8 October, with a particular emphasis on promoting the euro among our customers in the low awareness groups; there will be ongoing euro advertising in the media; the ECBI's public information video is being updated and will be shown in various offices of the Department around the country; the ECBI is planning a second household mailshot in September and suitable social welfare material has been provided for inclusion in that publication.

I am satisfied that my Department's efforts, in conjunction with the ECBI and other agencies, will ensure a smooth transition into the new euro currency from 1 January next for all social welfare customers, including those with special needs.