By Business & Finance The British-Irish Parliamentary Assembly meets in the historic surrounding of the Royal Hospital in Kilmainham on Monday, March 31st and Tuesday, April 1st to consider how workplaces will evolve and develop into the future.
Taoiseach Enda Kenny TD, Ryanair CEO Michael O’Leary, the IDA’s Frank Ryan and Ann Riordan of Science Foundation Ireland (SFI) are among the speakers to address the Assembly on the need for dynamic, mobile and adaptable workforces in an ever more globalised and interconnected world. Over the course of one and a half days, the Assembly will consider where current and future opportunities for growth and employment lie and what common strategies might be forged in equipping citizens with the necessary skill set required by the cutting edge enterprises of today and tomorrow.
On Tuesday, Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform Brendan Howlin TD will inform a session on the reform underway in the public sector, along with leading academics Dr Eoin O’Malley of Dublin City University (DCU) and Dr Richard Boyle of the Institute of Public Administration. Minister of State at the Department of Finance Brian Hayes TD, a former BIPA member, will also address the plenary.
This 48th BIPA plenary session, which will be streamed live here, will see the publication of a report from the Assembly’s Committee on sovereignty, which has been inquiring into the implementation of the Good Friday/Belfast and St Andrew’s Agreements.
Irish co-chair Joe McHugh TD said: “The British Irish Parliamentary Assembly has a strong track record in fostering greater understanding of issues relevant to the lives of citizens we serve on both sides of the Irish Sea. As our economies emerge from the financial crisis of recent years, it is timely that we examine how new technologies are supporting new enterprises and changing the nature of how we work. The Assembly will gain from the perspective of the Taoiseach and other key voices from the IDA and SFI on how Ireland is rising to these new challenges.
“The increased mobility for workers will be a particular talking point. In this context, the Assembly will value the unique insights of Michael O’Leary, whose company Ryanair is a key player in facilitating the mobility of European workers.”
Laurence Robertson MP, British co-chair of BIPA, added: “The British team are very much looking forward to the plenary meeting of BIPA in Dublin from Sunday.
“The Irish co-chair and his team have put forward a very interesting programme which focuses on work and enterprise, which is such an important theme. We are also pleased to note that, again, An Taoiseach, Enda Kenny TD, will address the plenary and we look forward to holding discussions with him. It will also be useful for us to meet with the TDs and Senators from Ireland to discuss informally many issues relating to and connecting our two countries, not least the imminent visit of the President of Ireland to the UK, which we are very much looking forward to.”
