Written answers

Wednesday, 15 February 2012

Department of Environment, Community and Local Government

EU Presidency

9:00 pm

Photo of Niall CollinsNiall Collins (Limerick, Fianna Fail)
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Question 214: To ask the Minister for the Environment, Community and Local Government the preparations he has undertaken for the Irish Presidency of the EU Council in January 2013; the amount of money spent on EU Council Presidency-related activities to date in 2012; the estimated expenditure up to December 2012; the budget for the six month Presidency specifically; the additional staff he has employed; the number of reassigned staff he has taken on; the estimated future staff requirements for the Presidency; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [8841/12]

Photo of Phil HoganPhil Hogan (Carlow-Kilkenny, Fine Gael)
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Preparations for my Department's role in Ireland's Presidency of the EU commenced in July 2010 with the establishment of an internal committee to co-ordinate arrangements and significant progress has been made since then in building a draft Presidency programme. My Department is also working closely with the Departments of An Taoiseach and Foreign Affairs and Trade who are co-ordinating preparations at national level.

As part of my ongoing Presidency preparations, I have already met with Irish MEPs, the Chair and Leaders of political groupings on the European Parliament's Committee on Environment, Public Health and Food Safety, and MEPs who will be acting as rapporteurs for some of the key dossiers. My Department has also met with key officials in the European Commission and in the Council Secretariat. Only very limited Presidency-related costs have arisen so far in 2012 and these have been met from within existing resources. Specific Presidency-related funding for my Department in 2012 will be finalised in the context of the Revised Estimates to be published later this month, with the 2013 costs being finalised in the context of next year's Estimates.

In addition to the corps of existing staff, primarily in my Department's Environment Division, who by virtue of their normal responsibilities will be involved in Presidency-related work, some 40 additional staff will be required for varying periods in order to support my Department's Presidency-related activities. Approximately half of these posts are being filled through staff resources freed up through restructuring/efficiency initiatives and from internal re-assignments; the mechanisms for filling the remaining posts will be decided later this year.

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