Committee Reports > List of Committees > Joint > 2007 > Committee on Enterprise and Small Business > Annual Report of the Joint Committee on Enterprise and Small Business, 2007

Tithe an Oireachtais

An Comhchoiste um Fhiontraíocht agus Mionghnóthaí

TUARASCÁIL DEIRIDH

(1 Eanáir - 29 Aibreán 2007)

Aibreán 2007

Houses of the Oireachtas

Joint Committee on Enterprise and Small Business

FINAL REPORT

(1^st January — 29^th April 2007)

April 2007

Annual Report 2007

Table of Contents

1. Content and Format of Report

This report has been prepared pursuant to Standing Order 84 (3), (4), (5) and (6) (Dáil Éireann) and Standing Order 69 (3), (4), (5) and (6) (Seanad Éireann) which provide for the Joint Committee to-

•undertake a review of its procedure and its role generally

•prepare an annual work programme

•lay minutes of its proceedings before both Houses

•make an annual report to both Houses .

2. Functions and Powers

The Dáil Select Committee was established by Order of Dáil Éireann of 16 October 2002 to consider Bills, Estimates for Public Services and the terms of any international agreement involving a charge on public funds which come within the aegis of the Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment.

The Dáil Select Committee under the same Order was enjoined with a Select Committee of Seanad Éireann, established by Order of Seanad Éireann of 17 October 2002, to form the Joint Committee on Enterprise and Small Business. Among the principal functions of the Joint Committee are to consider —

•public affairs administered by the Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment

•matters of policy for which the Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment is responsible

•legislative and expenditure proposals of the Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment

•scrutiny of EU legislative proposals

•certain matters relating to bodies under the aegis of the Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment

The Orders of Reference of the Dáil Select Committee and the Joint Committee are set out at Appendix 1.

3. Chairman, Vice-Chairman, Convenors and Membership

Deputy Donie Cassidy was elected as Chairman of the Joint Committee on 13^th November 2002. Deputy Martin Brady was elected as Vice-Chairman of the Joint Committee on 25^th November 2004. The Chairman of the Joint Committee is also Chairman of the Dáil Select Committee.

Deputies Joe Callanan and Breeda Moynihan-Cronin are the Convenors of the Committee whose function it is to ensure the availability and attendance of Members or their substitutes for meetings of the Committee and, in particular, to ensure Members’ availability for divisions.

The Members of the Joint Committee are set out at Appendix 2.

4. Meetings, Attendance and Recording

Meetings of the Joint Committee and Select Committee took place in the Committee rooms in Leinster House 2000. Meetings were in public unless otherwise ordered by the Committee.

Televised coverage of public meetings of the Committee were broadcast live within the Leinster House complex and was available for subsequent public broadcasting by RTE, TV3 and TG4.

An Official Report (Parliamentary Debates) of the public meetings of the Committees is published and may be purchased from the Government Publications Sales Office, Sun Alliance House, Molesworth Street, Dublin 2. The Official Reports may also be viewed on the Houses of the Oireachtas website at www.oireachtas.ie.

Copies of other reports published by the Joint Committee may be obtained from the Clerk, Joint Committee on Enterprise and Small Business, Kildare House, Kildare Street, Dublin 2. A list of these reports is set out at paragraph 8.

5. Number and Duration of Meetings

The Joint Committee met on 10 occasions during the period from 1^st January 2007 to the dissolution of Dáil Éireann on 29^th April 2007. The number of hours discussion involved in these meetings was in excess of 8 hours. The date and subject matter of each meeting is set out in Paragraph 6 below and at Appendix 3.

The Dail Select Committee met on 2 occasions during the period under review and the number of hours discussion involved in these meetings was in excess of 4 hours. The date and subject matter of each meeting is set out in paragraph 6 below and at Appendix 4.

Minutes of proceedings of the Joint Committee meetings in public session are attached at Appendix 5.

6. Work of the Committee

6.1 Joint Committee

On the 10 occasions the Joint Committee met, it dealt with the following matters

•FAS Annual Report 2005

•Science Foundation Ireland

•Competition in the Health Market

•Increase in Grocery Prices following abolition of Grocery Prices Order

•Increased Costs of Energy

•Reforms to the Irish Insurance Market

•Office of the Director of Corporate Enforcement

•Consideration of Motion re Competition Act 2002 Section 18 (5) and (6) Order 2007

•Regional Development particularly in the BMW Region

6.2 Dáil Select Committee

On the 2 occasions the Select Committee met, it dealt with the following matters:

•Consumer Protection Bill 2007 (Seanad)

•2007 Revised Estimates for Public Services-Vote 34 (Enterprise, Trade and Employment and Output Statement 2007

7. Groups and Individuals attending before Committee

In the period under review, the Joint Committee met with the following organisations:

•FAS

•Science Foundation Ireland

•Competition Authority

•Office of Consumer Affairs

•Commission for Energy Regulation

•Office of the Director of Corporate Enforcement

•Officials from the Department of Finance

8. Reports

8.1 Joint Committee Reports

During the period under review, the Joint Committee published the following reports:

•Annual Report 2006 and Work Programme 2007

•Ninth Report: Final Report on Reforms to the Irish Insurance Market

•Tenth Report: Examination of the effectiveness of Irish trade promotion abroad and the State Agencies involved.

•Eleventh Report: Effect of the establishment of the BMW Region.

•EU Scrutiny Report No. 29 : COM (2002) 460 : Proposal for a Directive of the European Parliament and of the Council on the Prospectus to be published when securities are offered to the public or admitted to trading and amending Directive 2001-34-EEC and

COM (2003) 138: Proposal for a Directive of the European Parliament and of the Council on the harmonisation of transparency requirements with regard to information about issuers whose securities are admitted to trading on a regulated market and amending Directive 2001/34.

•EU Scrutiny Report No. 30: COM (2003) 17 Green Paper-European Space Policy

•EU Scrutiny Report No. 31: COM (2003) 270: Green Paper on Services of General Interest

•EU Scrutiny Report No. 32: COM (2003) 827: Proposal for a Council Decision conferring jurisdiction on the Court of Justice in disputes relating to the Community patent and COM (2003) 828: Proposal for a Council Decision establishing the Community Patent Court and concerning appeals before the Court of First Instance

8.2 Work in Progress

•Scrutiny of EU Legislative Proposals

9. Travel

The Joint Committee undertook the following travel in accordance with its Orders of Reference in connection with its Work Programme:

10. Functions and Powers

The Joint Committee is currently satisfied with its present procedures and role.

Donie Cassidy, T.D.

Chairman

April 2007