Dominic Hannigan (Meath East, Labour) | Oireachtas source

I have a couple of questions for Councillor Stenson, the first of which is on regional disparities in economic growth. The Government's Action Plan for Jobs, published earlier this year, focused on how we can ensure that the economic recovery can be experienced by people across the country. Does Councillor Stenson have any thoughts on the approach being adopted by the Action Plan for Jobs? Does it go far enough? Could more be done and, if so, in what areas?

My second question concerns the involvement of stakeholders in the national reform programme. Councillor Stenson said he would welcome increased consultation. He is calling on the Department of the Taoiseach to provide a structured roadmap. It would be useful for this joint committee if the Committee of the Regions could make some concrete proposals on how it could become engaged with the process. We could then take it forward on its behalf and feed it in to the Minister.

Representatives of the ESRI will attend this committee next week to talk about the national reform programme. After that, we will be writing to the Minister with our views, including the discussions we are having today. Therefore, if the Committee of the Regions could put some concrete proposals to us, we can ensure that they will form part of the submission this committee will make to the Minister.

I am making that suggestion because we do not have control over the Department of the Taoiseach producing a structured roadmap, which may take time. It might be best, therefore, if we moved things along from our end.