Mr. John McCarthy:

The Deputy asked about interdepartmental connection. The committee would have had some discussion on this with colleagues from the Department of Communications, Climate Action and Environment when they were before the committee. They lead in the climate agenda, on the mitigation action plan and on climate adaptation. From our perspective I have no sense that a lack of interdepartmental engagement is a barrier. Colleagues here are in different interdepartmental groups. There are a range of interdepartmental structures for how we work together, including in the climate sector. Some colleagues here are on some of those interdepartmental structures. It is evident from some of the conversation today on renewable energy that we have major engagement with the Department of Communications, Climate Action and Environment around the plans for offshore development and what that means for us in terms of the regulatory regime we need to put in place. We have talked to Senator Lombard on solar and what we might need to do from a planning point of view for the roll-out of solar infrastructure. Again, that is with Department of Communications, Climate Action and Environment.

Certainly, we are active in interdepartmental engagement. I suppose it is more the knottiness of some of the issues rather than lack of engagement. Sometimes that is the nut that needs to be cracked.

I might move on to the national planning framework and then I will come back to the other issues because they are similar in a sense. The national planning framework and the national development plan together fall under the Project Ireland 2040 umbrella. As part of the implementation process the Government agreed to put in place a delivery board. The board is co-chaired by me and the Secretary General of the Department of Public Expenditure and Reform, which leads on the national development plan. The board is comprised of all Secretaries General of the Departments that have a role in implementing the national planning framework and in delivering on the national development plan. That structure has been put in place and is now up and running. The board has met on four occasions. The board reports back to Government and the relevant Cabinet committee. The intention is that it will produce an annual report to show the work it is undertaking each year in delivering on the national planning framework and the national development plan. For example, one thing we have been looking at in the early meetings is the issue around the regional, spatial and economic strategies that I discussed with Senator Lombard. These form the crucial next steps in taking what the national planning framework aims to achieve and cascading it to regional level before it moves on to local level. Representatives from the three regional assemblies have been in to talk to us about the work they are doing as part of the cascading exercise. Again, it is all part of the process of trying to ensure that the various pieces of the jigsaw are in place and slotting in together as needed.