Éamon Ó Cuív (Galway West, Fianna Fail)
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118. To ask the Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform the Minister or Minister of State that represented Ireland at the Ministerial Council meetings of the European Union during the Irish Presidency of the Council to date; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [26218/13]

Brendan Howlin (Wexford, Labour)
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The EU legislative issues for which my Department has responsibility during Ireland’s Presidency of the Council of Ministers relate to Cohesion Policy, Public Procurement and the Staff Regulations for EU officials. A total of ten legislative proposals are currently being dealt with under these headings.

In the case of Cohesion Policy and the EU Staff Regulations, at Council level these fall within the remit of the General Affairs Council at which Ireland is normally represented by the Tánaiste & Minister for Foreign Affairs, while Public Procurement falls within the remit of the Competitiveness Council, at which Ireland is normally represented by the Minister for Jobs, Enterprise & Innovation.

During the Irish Presidency, however, the focus of work on these issues has mainly been on negotiations with the European Parliament under the co-decision process. In that context I have addressed the Regional Development Committee of the European Parliament on the Cohesion legislative package and had meetings with the chair of the Regional Development Committee, Danuta Huebner MEP and the Regional Policy Commissioner, Johannes Hahn on a number of occasions, most recently on 13 May 2013. In addition, both Minister of State Hayes and I have had meetings with the chair of the Committee on the Internal Market and Consumer Protection, Malcolm Harbour MEP to discuss the Public Procurement proposals and I have also met all of the European Parliament rapporteurs as well as a number of political co-ordinators dealing with the ten legislative proposals for which my Department has responsibility.