Bertie Ahern (Dublin Central, Fianna Fail)

I propose to take Questions Nos. 1 to 8, inclusive, together.

The social partnership process comprises the institutions for shared analysis and reflection, the National Economic and Social Council, NESC, and the National Economic and Social Forum, NESF, and the arrangements for negotiation and monitoring of agreements, specifically the current agreement, Towards 2016. During 2008, NESC will undertake a number of studies which will develop the economic, social and environmental analysis set out in the council's 2006 strategy, People, Productivity and Purpose. In particular, the council expects to complete the following studies: an economic report, which will give an overview of key economic themes and develop an understanding of Ireland's transition to a new economic context, and a social report, which the Government has asked the council to prepare on a periodic basis. The council expects to finish this work by the autumn. In addition, the council secretariat will contribute to the Futures Ireland project, in collaboration with the NESF and the NCPP. This project was recommended by the Information Society Commission and agreed by Government and the social partners in the Towards 2016 partnership programme.

During 2008, the council will also initiate a number of other studies, including a review of the challenges of climate change and sustainable energy to contribute to building a greater shared understanding of these issues among economic and social organisations; a project to review the regimes of standards and accountability in a range of service areas, including social care, education, training, labour market services and aspects of health care, and identify approaches which can support not only minimum standards, but also continuous improvement and tailoring of services to diverse and changing needs in line with the model of a developmental welfare state proposed in previous council reports; and a study of the quality and inclusiveness of first-time education.

The NESF completed work on a number of reports published during 2007. These include, Improving the Delivery of Quality Public Services; The Arts, Cultural Inclusion and Social Cohesion; and Mental Health and Social Inclusion, including a research survey on mental health in the workplace. The forum also recently published a report, commissioned by the ESRI, entitled A Statistical Analysis of Public Involvement in the Arts. In addition, the NESF hosted the social inclusion forum in the Royal Hospital Kilmainham in November 2007. The NESF secretariat is also at an advanced stage in preparing the fifth periodic report, which will review the policy impact of the reports published by the NESF over the period 2004 to 2006. The membership of the new forum is in place, following the recent nominations to the Oireachtas strand, and its immediate priority will be to agree a new work programme for the period to 2010.

The third plenary meeting of the social partnership agreement, Towards 2016, was held on 15 February. Towards 2016 commits that:

A formal review will take place during 2008. This will provide an opportunity to take stock of outcomes achieved in relation to the overall goals and to consider any opportunities arising to refocus and reprioritise.

Towards 2016 also provides that the pay agreement would come into force on the expiry of the Mid-Term Review of Sustaining Progress and would last for 27 months. Given that the terms of the pay agreement for the private sector under Towards 2016 expired last month, the review process will include negotiations on a new pay round. The pay terms for the public sector expire at end-September.

I used the opportunity of the plenary meeting to formally invite the social partners to participate in a review of Towards 2016 and a copy of my speech has been placed in the Oireachtas Library. The programme for Government commits that "arrangements for representation of environmental issues in Social Partnership will be considered in the course of the review of Towards 2016 which will take place in 2008." The issue of environmental representation in social partnership will be considered further during this review in consultation with the social partners.

Any change to the structure of social partnership must be carefully considered and the Government previously identified clear and specific criteria against which applications to join the social partnership process are considered. These include that organisations requesting social partner status be national and representative in nature, that they have the capacity to meet the demands and obligations that arise as part of this participation and that they will add to the capacity of the social partnership process to address issues effectively. In addition, any organisations will be required to formally endorse the Towards 2016 agreement.

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