Dáil Éireann díospóireacht -
Tuesday, 11 Dec 2001

Vol. 546 No. 3

Written Answers. - EU Council Meetings.

Jim O'Keeffe

Ceist:

310 Mr. J. O'Keeffe asked the Minister for Social, Community and Family Affairs the meetings, formal and informal, of European Union Councils relevant to his portfolio held since June 1997; the number of such meetings attended by him; and where not so attended, the person who led the Irish delegation at such Council meetings. [31942/01]

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

The EU Council of Ministers' meeting which I am entitled to attend has responsibility for employment and social policy, previously labour and social affairs. The vast majority of the issues dealt with by this Council formation relate to employment and come under the remit of the Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment. Generally, there are much fewer items on the Council's agenda relating to social security, which comes within the remit of my Department. There have been 30 meetings of this Council since June 1997. A list of these Councils and the dates on which they were held follows. This list indicates the meetings which I attended and, where I did not attend, the person who led the Irish delegation.

Date	Representing Ireland
27 June 1997	Deputy Permanent Representative
7 October 1997	Minister of State, Deputy Kitt
6 November 1997	Minister of State, Deputy Kitt
17 November 1997	Minister, Deputy McCreevy, Minister of States, Deputies Kitt and Cullen
15 December 1997	Minister of State, Deputy Kitt
7 April 1998	Deputy Permanent Representative
3-4 June 1998	Minister of State, Deputy Kitt, Minister, Deputy Martin
27 October 1998	Deputy Permanent Representative
20 November 1998	Minister of State, Deputy Kitt
1-2 December 1998	Deputy Permanent Representative
9 March 1999	Deputy Permanent Representative
25 May 1999	Minister, Deputy McCreevy
8-10 July 1999	Minister, Deputy Ahern
22 October 1999	Minister of State, Deputy Kitt
12 November 1999	Minister of State, Deputy Kitt
29 November 1999	Deputy Permanent Representative
11 February 2000	Minister, Deputy Ahern
13 March 2000	Minister of State, Deputy Kitt
8 May 2000	Minister of State, Deputy Kitt
6 June 2000	Minister of State, Deputy Kitt
08 July 2000	Minister, Deputy Ahern
Date	Representing Ireland
17 October 2000	Minister of State, Deputy Kitt, Minister, Deputy O'Donoghue
27-28 November 2000	Minister of State, Deputy Kitt
20 December 2000	Deputy Permanent Representative
21-23 January 2001	Minister of State, Deputy Wallace
6 March 2001	Deputy Permanent Representative
11 June 2001	Minister of State, Deputy Kitt
6-7 July 2001	Minister of State, Deputy Kitt
8 October 2001	Minister of State, Deputy Kitt
3 December 2001	Minister of State, Deputy Kitt, and Deputy Permanent Representative

Where the social security items on the agenda have not been of a nature which would have warranted my attendance at the Council meetings, senior officials of my Department and the social attaché in the Permanent Representation to the EU, with responsibility in the social area, attended the Council meetings on my behalf. They fully briefed the head of delegation on the relevant issues and on the Irish position to be taken at the meetings.