Vol. 577 No. 4
310 Mr. Crowe asked the Minister for Social and Family Affairs the venue and location at which the meeting on employment, social policy, health and consumer affairs, scheduled for 4 March 2004 as part of the Irish Presidency of the Council of the European Union, will take place; and the proposed agenda for the meeting. [31611/03]
311 Mr. Crowe asked the Minister for Social and Family Affairs the venue and location at which the meeting on employment, social policy, health and consumer affairs, scheduled for 5 March 2004 as part of the Irish Presidency, will take place; and the proposed agenda for the meeting. [31612/03]
312 Mr. Crowe asked the Minister for Social and Family Affairs the venue and location at which the meeting on employment, social policy, health and consumer affairs, scheduled for 1 June 2004 as part of the Irish Presidency, will take place; and the proposed agenda for the meeting. [31613/03]
313 Mr. Crowe asked the Minister for Social and Family Affairs the venue and location at which the meeting on employment, social policy, health and consumer affairs, scheduled for 2 June 2004 as part of the Irish Presidency, will take place; and the proposed agenda for the meeting. [31614/03]
314 Mr. Crowe asked the Minister for Social and Family Affairs the venue and location at which the meeting on employment and social policy, scheduled for 16 January 2004 as part of the Irish Presidency, will take place; and the proposed agenda for the meeting. [31615/03]
315 Mr. Crowe asked the Minister for Social and Family Affairs the venue and location at which the meeting on employment and social policy, scheduled for 17 January 2004 as part of the Irish Presidency, will take place; and the proposed agenda for the meeting. [31616/03]
I propose to take Questions Nos. 310 to 315, inclusive, together.
There will be two meetings of the Employment, Social Policy, Health and Consumer Affairs Council formation during Ireland's Presidency of the EU in the first half of 2004. The first meeting will be held in Brussels on 4 and 5 March 2004 and the second will be held in Luxembourg on 1 and 2 June 2004. There will also be an informal meeting of employment and social policy ministers in Galway from 15 to 17 January 2004.
The theme of the informal meeting in January is Making Work Pay – Exploring the Interaction between Social Protection and Work. It covers a wide range of areas where social protection and employment policies interact, for example, supporting transitions to employment, prolonging working life and reconciling work and family life. The purpose of the discussion is to advance the agenda at the political level by exploring the range of actions needed to ensure that benefit and employment policies are mutually supportive. There will also be a discussion entitled investment in human capital.
The informal meeting will be preceded by a meeting with the European level representatives of the social partners and of civil society on 15 January 2004. It will focus on the topics adaptability and change and making work pay. The discussions will feed into the ministerial meeting the following day.
The main social policy issues on the agenda for the March Council will involve the preparation of an integrated key messages paper for the spring European Council. The social policy areas covered are likely to include social inclusion, pensions and making work pay. The preparations will be informed by various reports from the Commission and the social protection committee and other committees.
It is also envisaged that the March council will consider a proposal for amendments to Regulation 1408/71 that governs the social security rights of people moving within the Union. The issue is also likely to feature on the agenda for the June Council. Its policy agenda is likely to include consideration of two topics that will be the subject of conferences to be held in Ireland during our Presidency, namely, the social integration of migrant workers and the impact of family change on social policy in Europe. Full details of the March and June Councils, covering employment, social policy, health and consumer affairs, will not be finalised until nearer the dates of these meetings.
