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

Question 76: To ask the Tánaiste and Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment the policies, strategies or initiatives published on her behalf for each of the past five years; if, in each of these cases, consultation with children or representatives from the relevant sector was involved; if so, the details of this consultation; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [23965/09]

Mary Coughlan (Donegal South West, Fianna Fail)
Link to this: Individually | In context

My Department's remit encompasses responsibility for devising and promoting Government policy in the areas of enterprise development and competitiveness, science, technology, innovation and intellectual property, trade, consumer, competition, commercial regulation, labour force development, employment rights protection, as well as the promotion of stable industrial relations.

Our stakeholders and customers are many and varied, ranging from the Government, Oireachtas, Departments and Agencies, to the social partners, to the enterprise community, individual employees and employers, as well as to consumers and those wishing to enter the labour force.

Developing and implementing policies which fall within our direct remit, together with advocating for policies across government and the economy that support our mission of employment creation, worker protection and promoting competitiveness, is the primary focus of my Department. In parallel, we deliver a range of services to individual customers, often through our dedicated offices structure, in such areas as import and export licensing, employment rights adjudication, patents registration, company filing and so on. In addition, our Agency network, working across such fields as Enterprise, Labour Force and Science, Technology & Innovation Development, Occupational Health & Safety, as well as Commercial Regulation, provide a significant range of services for our customers and stakeholders within the overall policy parameters for the Department.

The policies, strategies and initiatives which the Department seeks to implement derive principally from the Programme for Government, the National Development Plan, Social Partnership Agreements, and of course, day-to-day Ministerial and Government direction.

Given my Department's remit, our policies, strategies or initiatives published over the last five years would not, in general, impact directly on children per se. In light of the extensive range of the policies, strategies and initiatives published by my Department and our Agencies, and their limited direct impact on children, the information sought is not readily available and its compilation would involve a disproportionate amount of time and work. However, if the Deputy has a specific policy, strategy or initiative in mind, I would be happy to provide specific details of our consultation process in that case / those cases to him. My Department would not, as a matter of course, consult with children or children's representatives in formulating policy.