Eric Byrne (Dublin South Central, Labour) | Oireachtas source

Language is important. I was here before Ms Day arrived and I asked my colleagues jokingly the definition of a semester. In my innocence I understood it to be some sort of programme for American students on semester here for the summer. Ms Day said that as parliamentarians, our duty will be to demystify the work of the European Commission, explain the meaning of "semester" and so on. She will understand the implications of the rather unsatisfactory term "six-pack". People here know the meaning of the term "six-pack" but they do not know it in the context of the European Union. I am on a learning stream and I thank Ms Day because I am learning while listening to her.

I have a couple of questions. I have been reading the annual growth survey that identifies five or six key areas including unemployment, etc. but I am mystified, and Ms Day might explain it, about the term "reforming public administration". If public administration is being reformed I presume it is being reformed for some reason. Is it that Ms Day believes they are all inefficient? Does she want a structure put in place as a result of the reform? In other words, what reforms does she seek to accomplish the outcome?

The 2014 alert mechanism report concludes that 16 member states, which is more than half, may require an in-depth review. Will Ireland be part of this, making it 17 member states? I am trying to come to terms with the work of Ms Day's institution. It is processing preliminary draft budgets of 28 countries. Does her organisation have an army working for it that can carry out these close-up studies of 16 or 17 member states?

Ms Day said she had a very good analytical capacity but is an analytical capacity of itself the way to resolve issues? I am a little nervous of academics and people with analytical minds imposing their economic concepts on a nation that is dealing with a range of diverse social and economic difficulties. I encourage Ms Day to continue the good job she is doing but for us to explain her work and objectives to the public requires us to first understand it ourselves.