Departmental and Company Readiness for 1992
Quinn urged every Department and Irish firm to appoint someone to monitor preparations for the 1992 Single Market. The Minister said economic Departments already had representatives on a monitoring committee, and agreed to pass his recommendation about firms to the IDA.
I am marvelling at the schizophrenia manifested in the last reply. Arising out of the comprehensive reply of the Minister of State to my supplementary questions, is she now prepared to consider recommending to each Government Department that they specifically appoint a person with responsibility for monitoring preparedness for 1992 within that Department?Secondly, could I ask the Minister of State — perhaps the central review committee of the Programme for National Recovery would be the place where this question might be voiced — that individual Irish firms would be surveyed, encouraged and, indeed, required to appoint a 1992 person or, if they refused to do that, that they facilitate the trade unions in appointing for themselves such a person to protect the workers?
Comment on this
First, as I said, we already have a committee which monitor the implications of 1992. The individual who serves on that committee from the particular parent Department is the 1992 person within that Department.
Comment on this
I can consider the recommendation made by Deputy Quinn in relation to having individual firms surveyed and asking them to appoint a 1992 person. I am quite confident that the IDA, in particular, have been pursuing that aspect with certain companies. I shall certainly bring the Deputy's recommendation to the attention of the IDA who are responsible, at the end of the day, for each individual company.