Enda Kenny (Mayo, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

The future role I envisaged for the NESC is for it to continue to be able to engage in dialogue with all Ministers and the relevant organisations. Formal structures in place include the national economic dialogue, the Labour Employer Economic Forum, the Climate Change Advisory Council and the social inclusion forum. The role of the NESC needs to be assessed in light of those arrangements. We now have the national risk assessment process and have just published the national risk assessment for 2016, which identified strategic risks in the economic, governmental, geopolitical, social and technological areas. The programme for Government points to the requirement for longer term planning, specifically, areas like housing, broadband, climate change, pensions and long-term funding models higher education and health. We need to find ways of bringing those together so there is a great deal of work to be done on that.

In respect of constitutional amendments, the Government has not considered what amendments, if any, should be decided by referendum in 2017. When the Government does consider that, it will make any announcement that is appropriate. As Deputy Howlin is aware, following the Constitutional Convention, the number of recommendations for referenda were quite extensive. The Citizens' Assembly is deliberating at the moment in respect of the Eighth Amendment of the Constitution.

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