Dáil debates
Wednesday, 29 April 2009
Ceisteanna — Questions
Departmental Programmes.
11:00 am
Caoimhghín Ó Caoláin (Cavan-Monaghan, Sinn Fein)
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Question 1: To ask the Taoiseach on which cross-departmental teams and interdepartmental committees his Department is represented; the purpose of each; the regularity with which they meet; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [13190/09]
Eamon Gilmore (Dún Laoghaire, Labour)
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Question 2: To ask the Taoiseach on which cross-departmental or interdepartmental committees or teams his Department is represented; the role of each; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [16600/09]
Brian Cowen (Laois-Offaly, Fianna Fail)
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I propose to take Questions Nos. 1 and 2 together. I am circulating with the Official Report a list for the information of the Deputy detailing the principal cross-departmental teams and interdepartmental committees on which my Department is represented:
The following cross-departmental teams or interdepartmental committees meet three to four times yearly.
| Name | Purpose |
| Senior Officials Group on European Affairs | European Affairs as required. The meetings are attended by the following Departments at Assistant Secretary General level: Department of the Taoiseach, Department of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food, Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment, Department of Environment, Heritage and Local Government, Department of Finance, Department of Foreign Affairs, Department of Justice, Equality and Law Reform. Other Departments can be invited to attend where necessary. |
| Government Legislation Committee* | The Government Legislation Committee, chaired by the Government Chief Whip, co-ordinates and monitors progress on the Government's legislative programme and compiles the "A" list (Bills expected to be published during the forthcoming Dáil session), and submits it to Government for approval at the beginning of each session. |
| eLegislation Committee | The main aim of this informal group, which includes representatives from the Attorney General's Office, the Chief Parliamentary Counsel's Office, the Houses of the Oireachtas Commission, the Department of Finance and the Law Reform Commission, is to see whether improvements could be made to the electronic Statute Book in the short to medium term without commitment of any significant resources. |
| Senior Officials Group on Labour Market Issues** | To consider measures in the area of employment activation. |
| *Meets every few weeks while the Dáil is in session, and regularly during the Dáil recess. | |
| **Group has met regularly since establishment in November 2008. |
The following cross-departmental teams or interdepartmental committees meet on a monthly basis.
| Name | Purpose |
| Interdepartmental Co-ordinating Committee on European Affairs [Chaired by Minister of State with responsibility for European affairs, Dick Roche T.D.] | The Interdepartmental Co-ordinating Committee on EU Affairs works to ensure that there is a co-ordinated Irish approach to key policy issues at European level. The committee has a particular focus on ensuring the timely transposition of European measures by Ireland. The committee is also briefed on issues arising at key working groups in the EU. The meetings of the committee serve to share information among Government Departments on EU issues. A senior official from every Department and also the Office of the Attorney General sits on the Interdepartmental Co-ordinating Committee on EU Affairs. |
| Senior Officials Group on Social Inclusion | To support the Cabinet Committee on Social Inclusion, Children and Integration. |
| Senior Officials Group on Health | To support the Cabinet Committee on Health. |
| Steering Group on Transforming Public Services | Supports the work of the Cabinet Committee on Transforming Public Services in the implementation and monitoring of progress on the Transforming Public Services agenda. |
| Working Group on Single Point of Telephone Contact | Examine the feasibility of putting in place a single "lo-call" number for all public services as recommended in the Government Statement on Transforming Public Services. |
| Financial Shared Services Working Group | Examine the feasibility of a shared services model for financial services for the Public Service. |
| HR Shared Services Working Group | Examine the feasibility of a shared services model for administrative HR and pensions for the Public Service. |
| Working Group on Mechanisms to Simplify the Provision of Means Information to Public Bodies | To undertake a detailed study of the issues involved and report to Government on the feasibility and value of introducing mechanisms to simplify the provision of means information to public bodies. |
| Interdepartmental Group on Review of the Economic Regulatory Environment (Chaired by Department of the Taoiseach) | To oversee the review the economic regulatory environment committed to in the programme for Government. |
| Marine Co-ordinating Group | To promote increased co-ordination among relevant Departments in relation to marine related matters. |
| Interdepartmental Committee on Science, Technology and Innovation | To support the Cabinet Committee on Science, Technology and Innovation |
| Senior Officials Group on Climate Change and Energy Security | To support the work of the Cabinet Committee on Climate Change and Energy Security and ensure appropriate synergies with the relevant cross-departmental teams. |
The following cross-departmental teams or interdepartmental committees meet three to four times yearly.
| Name | Purpose |
| Interdepartmental Committee on Development | The role of the Interdepartmental Committee on Development, IDCD, is to ensure greater coherence on development policy across all Government Departments to benefit Ireland's development aid programme, in line with the commitments in the 2006 White Paper on Irish Aid. The IDCD is chaired by the Minister of State with responsibility for overseas development. Membership of the committee is at senior level and all government departments are represented. The meetings also receive reports from the two Sub Groups the IDCD established to progress its work. |
| Training and Development Committee | This committee has responsibility for driving and overseeing the implementation of the Framework for Civil Service Training and Development. |
| Interdepartmental Group on Drugs | To co-ordinate the implementation of the national drugs strategy. |
| National City and County Development Boards Co-ordination Group | To oversee the implementation of the Indecon Report recommendations to strengthen and develop the city and county development boards. |
| High Level Group on Business Regulation (Chaired by Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment) | To look at ways of reducing unnecessary administrative burdens in five priority areas identified by Irish business as being the most burdensome. |
| Emergency Response Co-ordination Committee | Under the National Emergency Plan for Nuclear Accidents, this committee meets. Its purpose is to recommend countermeasures to protect the population in the event of a nuclear accident-event. |
| The Government Task Force on Emergency Planning | This task force, under the chairmanship of the Minister for Defence, aims at ensuring that a co-ordinated response to possible emergencies is provided by Departments and by those public authorities with an emergency planning function. |
| Interdepartmental Working Group on Emergency Planning | This group encompasses all Departments and those public authorities with key roles in emergency planning. The group works under the guidance of the Government Task Force on Emergency Planning and is a forum for the discussion and sharing of information as well as providing strategic guidance to all those Departments and public authorities involved in emergency planning. |
| Transport 21 Monitoring Group | To monitor progress of Transport 21 initiative. |
| Technical Analysis Steering Group on Climate Change | To oversee the analysis and modelling of cross- sectoral impacts of climate change. The group reports to the Cabinet Committee on Climate Change and Energy Security. |
| Smarter Travel Interdepartmental Working Group | To oversee the implementation of the Smarter Travel Policy. |
| Climate Change Awareness Campaign Steering Group | To oversee the public awareness and communications campaign on climate change. |
| Interdepartmental / Agency Group on Fuel Poverty | To ensure the effective delivery of a comprehensive approach to addressing energy affordability. |
| Freedom of Information Interdepartmental Working Group | Its purpose is to provide a background source of support to secure the successful implementation of freedom of information by providing advice and guidance on policy areas. |
| Interdepartmental Committee on Reconciliation Fund and Anti-Sectarianism Fund | To make recommendations to the Minister for Foreign Affairs on the disbursement of funding under the Anti-Sectarianism and Reconciliation Fund. |
The following cross-departmental teams or interdepartmental committees meet twice yearly.
| Name | Purpose |
| Senior Officials Group on Disability | To consider implementation issues around the national disability strategy. |
| Inter-Departmental Committee of the National Women's Strategy | To oversee implementation of the strategy. |
| National Youth Justice Strategy Oversight Group | To oversee progress on the implementation of the strategy. |
| High Level Group on Travellers | To oversee the implementation of the report of the high level group. |
| Positive Ageing Strategy Working Group | To oversee the development of a positive ageing strategy. |
| High level Group on the Asia Strategy | The high level group was established to oversee the Government's Asia Strategy in order to maintain a strategic view of progress regarding implementation of the strategy and to ensure that the strategy reflects, and is responsive to, the dynamics of the priority Asian countries. |
The following cross-departmental teams or interdepartmental committees meet on a yearly basis.
| Name | Purpose |
| Interdepartmental Co-ordinating Committee on the Council of Europe | An Interdepartmental Committee on the Council of Europe meets annually. The last meeting took place on 27 June 2008 which discussed Ireland's role in the organisation and its impact on political debate within Ireland, particularly through its standard setting function and its monitoring of member states compliance with these standards. Given the fact that the Council of Europe is the leading institution on human rights in Europe, Ireland affords a high priority to its responsibilities and obligations under Council of Europe conventions, including the European Court of Human Rights and the European Social Charter and these issues are central to the discussion at the Interdepartmental meetings. The next meeting is scheduled to take place in the early summer. |
The following cross-departmental teams or interdepartmental committees meet as required.
| Name | Purpose |
| QCS Research Group | Carries out and, as required, commission research to bring forward proposals in support of the implementation of recommendations in relation to quality customer service. Develops and oversees research projects in support of the wider QCS agenda. |
| Assistant Secretary Steering Group on the Review of the EU Budget | The negotiations on the Financial Framework 2007-2013 agreed in December 2005 were overseen by an Assistant Secretary steering group, chaired by the Department of Finance. In preparation for the review of the EU budget, agreed as part of the deal on the Financial Framework for 2007-13, it was decided to reconvene the Assistant Secretary steering group, as the Assistant Secretary Steering Group on the Review of the EU Budget, in order to guide Ireland's approach to the review to achieve the best deal possible for us and the EU as a whole. This group will again meet following the publication of the Commissions report on the review later this year. |
| Senior Officials Group on the Constitutional Amendment on Children | To explore the full implications of the proposed amendment in terms of policy issues, legislative impact and practical implications including resource implications. |
| Cross-departmental Working Group on Integration | To contribute to the formulation of integration policy and to support co-ordination of service delivery across Departments. |
| Implementation Group of Secretaries General | Responsible at an administrative level for overseeing the public service modernisation programme. It co-ordinates and develops policy on the modernisation programme, as well as its implementation. |
| Interdepartmental Committee on Ageing in the Public Sector | Examine the extent of the ageing problem in the medium and long term within the public service. |
| Cross-departmental Group on Administrative Burdens(Chaired by Department of Enterprise, Trade & Employment) | To facilitate reaching the 25% target for the reduction in administrative burdens on business arising from national regulations by 2012. |
| Interdepartmental Committee on Services Directive(Chaired by Department of Enterprise, Trade & Employment) | To facilitate the timely implementation of the services directive. |
| Attorney General's Consultative Committee on Law Reform Commission | This is a consultative committee comprising representatives of the Departments of the Taoiseach, Finance, Justice, Equality and Law Reform, Enterprise, Trade and Employment and Health and Children, the Bar Council and the Incorporated Law Society, under the auspices of the Office of the Attorney General. Its purpose it to assist the Attorney General in his consultations with the commission in relation to research programmes, in the selection of specific topics for examination by the commission and monitor the implementation of the recommendations of the commission. |
| Senior Officials Group on Economic Renewal | To support the work of the Cabinet Committee on Economic Renewal |
| Cross Departmental Group on Unique Business Identifier | To progress work towards a unique business identifier |
| Tax Strategy Group | To examine and develop proposals for measures in the areas of taxation, PRSI and levies, for budget and Finance Bill within agreed Government parameters for the overall budget position and in the context of the framework of a medium-term and longer-term strategy set out in the Government's programme, and to examine the strategic approach for a general social welfare package and to assess the interaction of income tax-PRSI-levies proposals with social welfare proposals including child income support, and in particular the impact of this interaction on the labour market and income distribution. |
| Steering Group on the Dublin Port Study | To facilitate and oversee the work of the Dublin Port study and to exercise a quality control function in relation to the reports to be furnished in relation to same. |
| Dormant Accounts — Interdepartmental Committees in relation to Persons with a Disability, Economic and Social Disadvantage, and Educational Disadvantage | To consider applications for funding from the Dormant Accounts Fund. |
Aengus Ó Snodaigh (Dublin South Central, Sinn Fein)
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Does the high level interdepartmental committee on North-South matters, the function of which was to exchange information and co-ordinate Government policy on North-South matters, still exist? Does it meet or function in any shape or form? Is the North-South interdepartmental co-ordinators group still in place? Will the Taoiseach outline the function of these groups? Has the level of North-South co-operation increased and is the Government working proactively to increase the level of co-ordination?
Is the interdepartmental group on drugs still in existence given the continuing increase——
John O'Donoghue (Kerry South, Ceann Comhairle)
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I have no wish to interrupt Deputy Ó Snodaigh, but a ruling of the Chair exists to the effect that when a reply is to be published in the Official Report and not given orally, it is wiser for Members to await the reply and then perhaps pursue the matter again, rather than to do so now through a supplementary question. The recommended procedure is that if the Member wishes to pursue the matter subsequently, he or she may do so by putting a question to the line Minister. The difficulty is that the Deputy is asking questions, which I realise are relevant, but the Taoiseach has already stated that he will circulate the reply for publication in the Official Report.
Aengus Ó Snodaigh (Dublin South Central, Sinn Fein)
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There is only one more part of the question and the Taoiseach will have the answer before him. He will be able to say whether they exist and whether they are contained in his reply. It is quite simple. Does the interdepartmental group on drugs exist and what is its membership?
Brian Cowen (Laois-Offaly, Fianna Fail)
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In respect of the rule governing this matter, when an answer is printed in the Official Report and not provided orally, I understand the rule is that Members await a reply rather than pursue matters by supplementary questions. Upon receipt of the reply, there will be an opportunity to put various detailed questions based on the considerable number of committees which have been communicated. I believe this is the best way to proceed. I do not have any information other than the tabular information.