Anne Rabbitte (Galway East, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

They could be meeting monthly in some cases. Education meets frequently, as do justice and social protection. There is not one Department that does not show up to the national disability inclusion strategy quarterly meeting. The engagement of the Department representatives who attend with the DSG is wholesome, practical and about what they are doing. This is an opportunity for the umbrella organisations, parents, carers and designated public officials to hold Departments to account. They come before me quarterly and, in the meantime, they meet to work through what they have set out as their goals for the next quarter with various officials. This is at a high level and feeds into circulars and implementation plans. It is no different from how policy in the Department of Health filters across to the HSE and how they deliver it across various community and network teams. It is the same for education and justice.

I talk about the Office of Public Works, OPW, all the time because we have the most fabulous monuments but sometimes we cannot access them. That is a clear practical piece. The role the OPW has played for me has been heartening, as has the role the Department of Housing, Local Government and Heritage has played. We have seen how that has fed in to the recent Housing for All policy document. There is a section on disability and that is because persons are participating from Departments and the DSG.

I have to give the shout-out in relation to employment. We have a comprehensive employment strategy but, while we have people from the Tánaiste's office participating, we all know employment is a huge issue.

The Senator can see there is an emphasis on a cross-departmental, whole-of-government approach to ensure that when the State report is lodged and the Minister, Deputy O'Gorman, and I want to bring forward the enacting of the optional protocol, each Department is up to speed and in line.

The most important thing is that the system is in place to ensure that all systems work.