Seán Kyne (Galway West, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I welcome our three guests. Professor Callan mentioned symmetry in the adjustment process and pressure on deficit countries. It is fair enough, as pressure is presumably applied to reduce their deficits, but he stated that the European Commission "fails to impose similar pressure on the surplus countries". Will he expand on this point? Does he mean a surplus country should be required to invest in job creation, to spend more and so on? Regarding his analysis of income poverty versus household joblessness, is he suggesting that the social welfare regime within jobless households is not being taken into account? These may be generous in certain countries.

Mr. O'Connor mentioned in-work poverty in Ireland. Are there EU comparative figures? He also mentioned the Irish Presidency and the social clause under the Lisbon treaty. Were the enhanced measures to which he referred, including the poverty impact assessment, put to the Irish Presidency? Was a set of indicators settled on following a cross-EU discussion? Mr. Donohoe referred to the indicators as being a source of confusion. Was that not unfair? Is there no ability or scope to consider a range of indicators that would not undermine policies aimed at improving competitiveness, growth and employment? The number of people not in employment, education or training, NEET, is one such indicator. Mr. Donohoe might expand on his point about skill sets in Ireland being fine compared with the EU.

Will our guests comment on whether the lack of repercussions for member states that fail to implement social indicators is good or bad? What suggestions would they make in this regard?