Ms Fiona Quinn:

Good morning, I thank the committee for inviting us to meet with the committee to discuss the Department’s next statement of strategy. My name is Fiona Quinn and I am the assistant secretary of the Department’s corporate division. I am accompanied today by Damian Allen, the principal officer who heads up our strategic business support unit.

In accordance with the Public Service Management Act 1997, each Secretary General is required to prepare and submit a strategy statement to their Minister within six months of the appointment of a new Minister. Work has, therefore, commenced on the preparation of the Department’s new statement of strategy to cover the period 2021 to 2025. The statement will comprise the mission statement, strategic goals, key objectives and actions of the Department and will serve as a framework for the Department over the period. The Programme for Government - Our Shared Future, will be a cornerstone of the new strategy, but it will also take account of overarching national strategies and plans, including Project Ireland 2040 - National Planning Framework, and the climate action plan.

To ensure that relevant strategies and plans are considered and reflected in the statement of strategy, the Department undertakes a consultation process with stakeholders and interested parties, including the committee. Observations were sought from local authorities, relevant State agencies and other Departments. The consultation process also involved a public consultation.We have received a total of 36 submissions, the majority of which came from stakeholder bodies operating in the fields of housing, planning, water and heritage. In addition to the observations received from other Departments, these include extensive submissions on planning policy, housing policy and delivery from Age Action Ireland, An Bord Pleanála, Apartment Owners' Network, Community Law and Mediation, COPE Galway, the Disability Federation of Ireland, Inclusion Ireland, the Land Development Agency, Simon Communities of Ireland and the Society of St. Vincent de Paul. Observations regarding water policy were received from the Water Advisory Board, the Commission for Regulation of Utilities, the Environmental Protection Agency, Ervia and Irish Water. A number of submissions addressed multiple areas within the Department’s remit. Each of these will be reviewed and recommendations within the submissions will be considered for inclusion in the new strategy.

The proposed format of the new strategy will be similar to the current one. The main chapters will reflect the Department’s high-level business functions or programme areas. These will correspond to the programmes in the Revised Estimates Volume, namely, housing, planning, local government, water, heritage and Met Éireann. This approach ensures that the statement of strategy complements the financial information in the Revised Estimates Volume.In keeping with the commitment in the programme for Government, all new departmental strategy statements must have climate action included as a core pillar. This will include, but not be limited to, how the Department intends to ensure delivery of the climate action plan and the increased climate action ambition in the programme for Government, as well as the ways in which the Department can lead by example in reducing emissions. We will also have particular regard to: cross-cutting priorities included in the programme for Government or agreed at Cabinet committees; overarching budgetary and policy frameworks including the national digital strategy, open data strategy, etc; public service reform plans; workforce planning; and obligations under the Irish Human Rights and Equality Act 2014 to assess and report on human rights and equality issues. Our intention is to have the final document ready to submit to the Minister at the end of November. We would welcome members' comments and suggestions regarding the statement of strategy.