Written answers
Thursday, 15 May 2008
Department of Social and Family Affairs
European Council Meetings
5:00 pm
Leo Varadkar (Dublin West, Fine Gael)
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Question 129: To ask the Minister for Social and Family Affairs the number of Council of Ministers meetings attended by Ministers at her Department for each of the past three years in tabular form; the number of decisions made by the Council at those meetings; the number of occasions on which those decisions were decided upon by a vote; the number of occasions on which Ireland voted against a decision which was adopted; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [19049/08]
Mary Hanafin (Dún Laoghaire, Fianna Fail)
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The Employment, Social Policy, Health and Consumer Affairs Council (ESPHCA) is the Council of Ministers formation of direct relevance to the Minister for Social and Family Affairs. This Council formation covers a range of policy areas which are dealt with by a number of Irish Government Departments, including employment and labour law issues, which are the responsibility of the Department of Enterprise Trade and Employment; equality and anti-discrimination issues, which are the responsibility of the Department of Justice, Equality and Law Reform; and social protection and social inclusion issues, which are dealt with by the Department of Social and Family Affairs. The ESPHCA Council also deals with health and consumer affairs items, which are the responsibility of the Department of Health and Children and the Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment, respectively.
Decisions concerning Ministerial attendance at ESPHCA Councils are determined having regard to the items on the agenda. Where there is a greater focus on employment issues, Ireland is represented by the Minister for Labour Affairs, with appropriate input from the Department of Social and Family Affairs.
The Employment and Social Affairs Council meets formally 3 or 4 times each year. At these Councils, EU Employment and Social Affairs Ministers reach political agreement on various legislative items and also adopt and endorse a range of reports and opinions. Legislative items of relevance to the Minister for Social and Family Affairs normally require unanimity at Council, and the ESPHCA Council endeavours to reach agreement on these items through consensus, without the need for a formal vote.
The following table sets out the participation by the Minister for Social and Family Affairs at the formal ESPHCA Council meetings over the period 1st January 2005 to 15th May 2008. All of the ESPHCA Councils held during this period were also attended by the Minister for Labour Affairs at the Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment.
| Table of Attendance at ESPHCA meetings by Minister for Social and Family Affairs | |||
| ESPHCA meeting | In attendance | Decisions | Votes |
| March 2006 | Minister Seamus Brennan | Council adopted a Regulation amending Regulation No. 1408/71 on the application of social security schemes to employed persons, self-employed persons and members of their families moving within the Community and Regulation 574/72 on the procedure for implementing Regulation No. 1408/71 (miscellaneous amendments 2004) | Adopted unanimously |
| Council reached a general approach on a draft regulation amending Regulation No. 1408/71 on the application of social security schemes to employed persons, self-employed persons and members of their families moving within the Community (miscellaneous amendments 2005) | Agreed unanimously | ||
| Council adopted the 2006 joint Commission and Council report on social protection and social inclusion | Agreed unanimously | ||
| Council endorsed the joint Social Protection Committee and Economic Policy Committee opinion on the Communication from the Commission, Working together, working better: a new framework for the open method of coordination of social protection and inclusion policies in the EU | Endorsed unanimously | ||
| June 2006 | Minister Seamus Brennan | Council reached a partial general approach on Titles I and II of a draft Regulation aimed at implementing Regulation No. 883/2004 on the coordination of social security systems | Agreed unanimously |
| Council reached a partial general approach on a draft Regulation amending Regulation No. 883/2004 on the coordination of social security systems and determining the content of Annex XI to that Regulation. | Agreed unanimously | ||
| Council endorsed a joint opinion of the Social Protection and Employment Committees on the review of the EU Sustainable Development Strategy | Endorsed unanimously | ||
| Council endorsed the joint contribution of the Social Protection and Employment Committees on flexicurity | Endorsed unanimously |
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