Caoimhghín Ó Caoláin (Cavan-Monaghan, Sinn Fein)
Link to this: Individually | In context

Question 4: To ask the Taoiseach if he will report on the work of the National Economic and Social Forum; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [29228/07]

Caoimhghín Ó Caoláin (Cavan-Monaghan, Sinn Fein)
Link to this: Individually | In context

Question 5: To ask the Taoiseach if he will report on the work of the National Centre for Partnership and Performance; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [29265/07]

Enda Kenny (Mayo, Fine Gael)
Link to this: Individually | In context

Question 6: To ask the Taoiseach if he will report on the recent work of the National Centre for Partnership and Performance; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [30763/07]

Eamon Gilmore (Dún Laoghaire, Labour)
Link to this: Individually | In context

Question 7: To ask the Taoiseach if he will report on the recent work of the National Economic and Social Forum and its planned work programme for the first half of 2008; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [30821/07]

Bertie Ahern (Dublin Central, Fianna Fail)
Link to this: Individually | In context

I propose to take Questions Nos. 4 to 7, inclusive, together.

Over the past three years, the National Economic and Social Forum, NESF, has prepared reports on the following policy themes: early childhood care and education, care for older people, creating a more inclusive labour market, improving the delivery of quality public services, the arts, cultural inclusion and social cohesion and mental health and social inclusion.

In addition, the NESF has been mandated to convene meetings of the Social Inclusion Forum. This annual forum, the most recent meeting of which took place on 15 November, is designed to give those who are not directly involved in the social partnership process an opportunity to input their views and experiences on key implementation issues under the Government's national action plan for social inclusion, identify barriers and constraints to progress and how best these can be tackled, and debate policy proposals for the future.

The NESF prepares periodic reports on the impact of its work both at national and local levels. A draft report covering the work of the NESF over the period from 2003 to 2006 is at present being finalised. The NESF has recently been reconstituted and a draft work programme for the forthcoming period is under consideration by its members.

The National Centre for Partnership and Performance, NCPP, was established by the Government in 2001 to promote and facilitate partnership-led change and innovation in Irish workplaces. Through a combination of research and advocacy, the NCPP is helping to create high quality, high performance workplaces throughout the country and is thereby contributing to the Government's efforts to improve national competitiveness, enhance public services, increase standards of living and deliver a better quality of working life for employers and employees alike. The NCPP is also involved in promoting the business case for workplace partnership at enterprise level across all sectors of our economy.

The NCPP work programme focuses on the following five areas: partnership, national workplace strategy, workplace innovation fund, research and policy development and communication and information dissemination.

On 1 January the NCPP was placed on a statutory footing as part of the new National Economic and Social Development Office, NESDO. NESDO's other constituent bodies are the National Economic and Social Council, NESC, and the National Economic and Social Forum, NESF.

Caoimhghín Ó Caoláin (Cavan-Monaghan, Sinn Fein)
Link to this: Individually | In context

I thank the Taoiseach for his reply. What is the formal procedure for ensuring that NESF reports serve a purpose and that its recommendations are taken on board by Government in making key decisions? Will he confirm that members of the Opposition have repeatedly raised a whole series of excellent reports by the NESF that appear not to have been taken on board by the Government.

Is the Taoiseach familiar with the detail of one of the most recent reports, published by the NESF last month, a comprehensive report on mental health and social inclusion? If so, did he note it stressed the need to fully fund and implement the recommendations of the Government's mental health policy, A Vision for Change? The Taoiseach must also have noted that in last week's budget we saw again the very inadequate interim arrangement for a paltry 18 additional beds for child and adolescent mental health services. I have examined the detail of this matter with alarm that these beds will not be in facilities appropriate to children and will, therefore, be in breach of the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child. Does the Taoiseach agree that this is alarming and that the Government's mental health policy, A Vision for Change, must be progressed in line with the recommendations underscored in last month's NESF report?

I am only using this report as an example, but has the Taoiseach noted that the NESF report contains a recommendation that would require action by him and his Department? Has the Taoiseach responded to the recommendation to establish a cross-departmental team to draw up targets, priorities and an implementation schedule for implementing A Vision for Change and dealing with social exclusion of those with mental health problems? This NESF report has a specific recommendation for the Taoiseach and his Department in this area. Will the Taoiseach outline to the House his decision on this matter? Does he intend to implement the recommendation and how soon will he act upon it?

At our party conference in Dublin at the weekend a useful suggestion was made by a representative of the Polish community that a place be reserved on the NESF for a representative of immigrant communities. Will the Taoiseach take on board the recommendation from this source and advise us of his disposition towards such a request?

Enda Kenny (Mayo, Fine Gael)
Link to this: Individually | In context

All these bodies — the NCPP, the NESF and NESC — operate under the overarching body of the National Economic and Social Development Office, NESDO. In terms of cohesion and sharpness, is it the Taoiseach's view that there is value in having that plethora of economic groups reporting under the NESDO?

In respect of the NCPP, did the Cabinet today decide not to accept the recommendations of the Review Body on Higher Remuneration in the Public Sector on the salaries of the Judiciary and the Cabinet in the context of no targets being set for performance?

Eamon Gilmore (Dún Laoghaire, Labour)
Link to this: Individually | In context

The Taoiseach addressed a seminar of the NCPP on 29 November at which he said public service pay should neither lead nor trail the market. What decision has the Government made in respect of the proposed pay increases for the Taoiseach and his Cabinet colleagues?

Bertie Ahern (Dublin Central, Fianna Fail)
Link to this: Individually | In context

In response to Deputy Ó Caoláin, NESF reports go to the individual Departments and it is for those Departments to implement the proposals, many of which were taken up in the budget last week, while many others are implemented in legislation. The NESF does a good job annually in offering broad outlines of the actions it believes should be taken on various exclusion issues and other matters. Its proposals are taken on board and regularly discussed by the Cabinet sub-committees.

The NESF report on mental health is an important document that complements the Government's mental health policy, A Vision for Change. The report recommends major changes in the way mental health issues are dealt with by employers, local authorities, trade unions and, most importantly, the health sector. The underlying emphasis is on recovery in the broadest sense rather than on an exclusively medical model. That is the argument made in the report and it is made well. Its recommendations reach beyond the health sector to highlight how mental health services should be integrated within wider non-medical supports. This recommendation was fed back into my Department and a cross-departmental group has been established to consider how this can be done.

The report looked at mental health issues in the context of employment, housing, social supports and so on. Strategically, the focus is on placing community groups in the voluntary sector at the centre of efforts to move people out of institutions and into the community. This has been ongoing to some extent since the Looking Forward report in the 1980s. The changes recommended in that report were beginning to be implemented when I was a member of the health board. This report is another step in that direction. Following its initial consideration by the Government, the report's recommendations have been referred for consideration by the relevant Department. Implementation of the individual components of A Vision for Change is a matter primarily for the HSE. In July the executive established an implementation group to ensure mental health services would be developed in a synchronised and consistent way.

Deputy Kenny's first question was on the NESDO. NESC carries out strategic analysis of the economy, bringing together all the relevant participants to plan where we are and where we should go. It has been the basis of social partnership and other reports on subjects such as the welfare society and housing. It does an entirely different job from NESF, which deals with day to day legislative changes, particularly in the areas of social inclusion and macro and micro issues.

NCPP is an entirely different organisation which is trying to bring best practice to industry in terms of how it should consult, bring in change, reform and modernise. They are three different but small organisations. The benefit of bringing the three together was to share administration, which cut down massively on cost. There was one office in one place and shared administration. That is the benefit of NESDO.

On the issue of pay, as many members of Government and I have previously stated, we have a Labour Court, a Labour Relations Commission and review bodies in different areas dealing with pay. I always take the view that this House should accept recommendations of bodies it sets up. The pay review for approximately 2,000 people in the Civil Service, semi-State bodies and the Judiciary carried out by the Review Body on Higher Remuneration in the Public Sector should be the same.

A Government has never rejected a report by this body since it was set up 1969. The recommendations of reports have been phased in, delayed or postponed but they have never been rejected. This Government will not do so either. We believe the work was done professionally and without consultation with or reference to the Government. The body decided not to take into account the private sector because it indicated the position of Government was unrelated. However, other linkages were made in the report.

We received the report in the autumn and the Government is mindful that the November Exchequer figures were not as good as hoped. The benchmarking report is imminent and we will not know its outcome until it is finished. We are in a tighter position so taking such matters into account, it is the Government's view that to go with the phasing previously looked at perhaps would not be a reasonable thing to do.

Jim O'Keeffe (Cork South West, Fine Gael)
Link to this: Individually | In context

Go back a few steps.

Bertie Ahern (Dublin Central, Fianna Fail)
Link to this: Individually | In context

We have decided to rephase it, to put back the first part of it by a year and put the other part in place in 2009 and 2010. The full costs will not come on the Exchequer until 2011, which will be 11 years after the last report by the review body.

Brian Hayes (Dublin South West, Fine Gael)
Link to this: Individually | In context

Will the Taoiseach run that by me again?

Jim O'Keeffe (Cork South West, Fine Gael)
Link to this: Individually | In context

We are flattening the mountain.

Bertie Ahern (Dublin Central, Fianna Fail)
Link to this: Individually | In context

We have put the cost back 11 years from the last implementation of the review body's report.

Enda Kenny (Mayo, Fine Gael)
Link to this: Individually | In context

A Leas-Cheann Comhairle——

Brendan Howlin (Wexford, Labour)
Link to this: Individually | In context

I will allow a brief point of clarification as we are ten minutes over time.

Caoimhghín Ó Caoláin (Cavan-Monaghan, Sinn Fein)
Link to this: Individually | In context

What about representation for the immigrant community on the NESF?

Enda Kenny (Mayo, Fine Gael)
Link to this: Individually | In context

Did the Taoiseach——

Brendan Howlin (Wexford, Labour)
Link to this: Individually | In context

I ask that Deputy Kenny be allowed to put his brief supplementary.

Enda Kenny (Mayo, Fine Gael)
Link to this: Individually | In context

——indicate there would be no movement on the recommendations for 2008 at all for either the members of Government, the Judiciary or the other approximately 2,000 people involved? Will the phasing in be delayed until the end of 2008?

Caoimhghín Ó Caoláin (Cavan-Monaghan, Sinn Fein)
Link to this: Individually | In context

I have asked a question that has not been answered.

Bertie Ahern (Dublin Central, Fianna Fail)
Link to this: Individually | In context

The way the process is carried out in the Department of Finance means the only orders which need ratification are those for the Judiciary and politicians. The increases for the Civil Service and commercial semi-State bodies went into the system after the decision was made and the personnel in question will be paid. The Government will also pass the order for the Judiciary. The only people to have their increases delayed will be the Ministers and Ministers of State.

Brian Hayes (Dublin South West, Fine Gael)
Link to this: Individually | In context

It is Damascus-like.

Enda Kenny (Mayo, Fine Gael)
Link to this: Individually | In context

Did the Taoiseach decide that today?

Brendan Howlin (Wexford, Labour)
Link to this: Individually | In context

That concludes questions to the Taoiseach today.

Bertie Ahern (Dublin Central, Fianna Fail)
Link to this: Individually | In context

It is a good example of our goodwill.

Caoimhghín Ó Caoláin (Cavan-Monaghan, Sinn Fein)
Link to this: Individually | In context

What about immigrant representatives on the NESF?

Enda Kenny (Mayo, Fine Gael)
Link to this: Individually | In context

Did the Taoiseach decide that today?

Bertie Ahern (Dublin Central, Fianna Fail)
Link to this: Individually | In context

Yes.

Caoimhghín Ó Caoláin (Cavan-Monaghan, Sinn Fein)
Link to this: Individually | In context

Will I receive a reply to my question?

Brendan Howlin (Wexford, Labour)
Link to this: Individually | In context

I will come back to the Deputy because he posed a question. I ask him to be very brief.

Caoimhghín Ó Caoláin (Cavan-Monaghan, Sinn Fein)
Link to this: Individually | In context

The Taoiseach is leaving although the question has not been dealt with. I asked about the Taoiseach's consideration of representation for the immigrant community on the NESF. I take it the Taoiseach's exiting stage right is his response.

Brendan Howlin (Wexford, Labour)
Link to this: Individually | In context

We are ten minutes over time.

Caoimhghín Ó Caoláin (Cavan-Monaghan, Sinn Fein)
Link to this: Individually | In context

This cannot be laughed away.

Brendan Howlin (Wexford, Labour)
Link to this: Individually | In context

We will move to priority questions nominated to the Minister for Education and Science.