Micheál Martin (Cork South Central, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

I am grateful for the opportunity to appear before the select committee as it considers the 2022 Estimates for Votes 1 to 3, inclusive, and Votes 5 and 6. A detailed briefing document for each of these Votes has been supplied to the committee in advance. I will focus on the work of my Department in light of the proposed 2022 Estimate and touch on the proposed 2022 Estimate allocations for the President’s Establishment, the Office of the Attorney General, the Office of the Director of Public Prosecutions and the Office of the Chief State Solicitor. While I have certain responsibilities to the Oireachtas for administrative matters in some of these offices, they operate independently of my Department.

On Vote 1, the Estimate for the President's Establishment is €4.75 million. This includes just over €3 million for pay and administration, with the balance to fund the centenarians' bounty.

On Vote 3, the Estimate for the Office of the Attorney General is €33.29 million. Of this, €14.31 million relates to staff costs and €2.78 million is allocated to the Law Reform Commission. A new subhead for the consolidation and revision of planning legislation has been allocated €12 million.

The Estimate for Vote 5, the Office of the Director of Public Prosecutions is €47.83 million. This provides €19.32 million in administration and pay, an increase of €2.1 million on 2021. Some €16.5 million has been allocated for fees to counsel and €8.2 million to fund the local State solicitor service.

For Vote 6,the Chief State Solicitor’s Office Estimate for 2022 is €49.66 million, the bulk of which relates to salaries and administration. A provision of just over €22.9 million is allocated for the payment of legal fees incurred.

The Estimate for my Department, Vote 2, is just over €38 million. Almost 62% of that relates to staff and administration. The remaining almost €15 million provides funding for Covid-19 public communications, the Citizens’ Assembly, the National Economic and Social Council and several independent inquiries. My Department will continue its role in providing, co-ordinating and overseeing a whole-of-government focus on the response to Covid-19 over the coming period. A whole-of-government approach to the management of the pandemic over the past two years has been critical to our current position and our recovery. A comprehensive evaluation of how the country managed Covid-19 will provide an opportunity to learn lessons from our experiences. This will help to ensure we are in a better, stronger position if another pandemic or other similar type emergency arrives. We are considering what the best model for this evaluation will be.

We know the capacity to have a public health response that is agile and flexible, with an ability to pivot rapidly and respond to any emerging threat, is critical. We have much to build on in terms of our achievements in disease surveillance, ICT infrastructure and vaccination programmes, all of which expanded rapidly over the past two years.

Our vaccination programme is one of the best globally. Over 93% of the Irish population above the age of 12 is now fully vaccinated. In total, more than 10 million vaccines have been administered since vaccination began in late 2020. More than 2.7 million booster doses have now been administered and the vaccination programme continues. In the European Centre for Disease Prevention data, Ireland is ranked fourth in Europe in terms of the population aged over 18 to have received a booster vaccination and has the sixth lowest overall mortality rate out of the 27 countries in the EU plus the UK. Nevertheless, while continuing to monitor the disease situation and the downstream impacts of the pandemic, we must also use this time to assess learnings and mainstream the changes we need. We need a public health response that is sustainable and flexible and has the capacity to surge in response to future pandemic threats. We are also working to ensure a flexible and robust vaccine delivery system is in place for any future needs.

As it has throughout the pandemic, the Government has taken extensive and unprecedented measures to support workers and businesses. In excess of €20 billion in direct supports have been provided to date, which places us as among the most generous within the EU. This includes approximately €9 billion for the pandemic unemployment payment and a further €9 billion through the employment wage subsidy scheme and its predecessor, the temporary wage subsidy scheme.

While we continue to manage the impact of the pandemic on the labour market, we have seen positive developments. Last December, the Covid-adjusted unemployment rate stood at 7.5%, down from 21.7% in December 2020. The overall level of employment reached a record high in quarter 3 of 2021, rising to almost 2.5 million people in work. This is a record number in employment. The Department of Finance has estimated a general Government deficit of approximately €9 billion or 4% of national income for 2021, following higher than expected tax returns in the second half of the year.

Of course, the pandemic is not over but our management of it is changing and that will continue to evolve to deal with the ongoing impacts and to respond to any fresh threats. Through the Cabinet committee structures, we will continue to assess longer term impacts and responses across public services. My Department will also continue, for as long as is necessary, to co-ordinate communications for the whole-of-government response to the pandemic, keeping the public informed about current public health advice, vaccination and booster programmes, and economic and other supports. Clear and consistent communications across national and regional press, national and local radio, digital display, social media, television and online video have been a core focus of the pandemic response from the beginning. Those Covid-19 public information campaigns will continue to ensure we reach all those who are relying on information, guidance and advice to underpin our recovery.

As we continue to live with the Covid-19 pandemic, it is important as a people that we pause and reflect, take time to remember those who have lost their lives and pay tribute to everyone who has contributed to how we have faced and are facing the challenges together. The public holiday to be held on 18 March is in recognition of the efforts of the public, volunteers and front-line workers during the Covid-19 pandemic and in remembrance of those who lost their lives during that time. A national day of remembrance and reflection is also planned for 20March to reflect the experiences of all those who have suffered loss during the pandemic.

The 2021 economic recovery plan, which was published last June, is being progressed through the Cabinet committee on economic recovery and investment. The plan sets out renewed supports, investments and policies for a new stage of economic recovery and transition, with an overarching ambition of 2.5 million people in work, which will now be achieved by the end of the year, well in advance of what was originally set out in the plan. It is helping to drive a jobs-rich recovery and will support the economy in transitioning towards a decarbonised and digital economy. As part of the plan, a new artificial intelligence, AI, strategy was launched in July, and in the past week a new digital strategy, Harnessing Digital: The Digital Ireland Framework, has been published.

The Irish economy, like many other advanced economies, is, as we know, also experiencing a surge of inflation driven by supply chain difficulties and rising energy costs. Unfortunately, this is a global phenomenon. The Government is examining a number of ways to alleviate pressures on people from the rising cost of living.

Like all sectors, housing and construction have been impacted by the pandemic. The housing crisis will take time to resolve and the strong economy will mean continued pressure on prices and rents in the short term. It is a priority for the Government and for my Department. My Department chairs the Housing for All delivery group of Secretaries General and provides the secretariat. There are three subgroups, each chaired by a Secretary General. These are working on three key areas: investment, industry capability and public service delivery. The Housing for All Plan is the most ambitious housing plan in the history of our State and contains a range of actions and measures to ensure more than 300,000 new homes are built by 2030. This figure includes 90,000 social, 36,000 affordable purchase and 18,000 cost rental homes. Last week, the Government published the second quarterly progress report for quarter 4 2021. It shows significant progress towards the fundamental reform of the housing system, setting the course to increase the supply of housing significantly and provide a sustainable housing system into the future.

The end of January marked two years since Brexit, a process that started almost six years ago with the referendum in the UK in June 2016. Throughout that period, Brexit has remained a key focus of Government. I want to place on the record the importance of engaged cross-party support in the Oireachtas for the Government’s key objectives and approach to safeguarding Ireland’s interests in the context of the UK's withdrawal from the European Union. Officials in my Department were deeply involved in the negotiations and the preparation for Ireland’s national response.

While Brexit has brought ongoing disruption, the EU-UK Trade and Cooperation Agreement, together with the withdrawal agreement including the protocol on Ireland and Northern Ireland, means that Ireland’s key objectives in the Brexit negotiations were achieved. In particular, these agreements ensure the protection of the Good Friday Agreement and the gains of the peace process and include: avoiding a hard border on the island of Ireland; facilitating the maintenance of the common travel area; enshrining the best possible outcome, given UK choices, for trade and the economy, notably tariff- and quota-free trade with the UK; protecting Ireland’s place in the Single Market and the Single Market itself; and ensuring fair competition and a level playing field for Irish businesses.

The Government has worked hard to support businesses exposed to the British market to prepare and continues to do so. I pay tribute to the effort that so many businesses have made to diversify markets, make supply chains more resilient and adapt where necessary. Our work on the implementation of the protocol will continue. The EU has listened closely to concerns in Northern Ireland and is working in good faith to minimise friction. The current talks between the EU and the UK must be given every chance to succeed. The Commission has put forward serious proposals which directly address the concerns about outstanding issues on implementation of the protocol. Our joint focus should be on achieving positive progress. We remain confident that solutions exist within the parameters of the protocol for the issues that have arisen.

I am deeply concerned about recent developments in Northern Ireland and the resignation of the Democratic Unionist Party, DUP, First Minister, Paul Givan. I have consistently stated that the institutions of the Good Friday Agreement should not be undermined and that politicians from all sides should respect this. I urge the DUP to return to full engagement with all the institutions of the Good Friday Agreement and avoid any action that could damage peace and stability in Northern Ireland.

The Government’s shared island initiative is progressing on an ambitious and whole-of-government basis and through all-island partnerships with the Northern Ireland Executive, the UK Government, and local authorities and civil society across the island. The shared island unit established in my Department in 2020 acts as a driver and co-ordinator of this whole-of-government initiative. The Government allocated €50 million from the fund in 2021 to move ahead with key cross-Border investments, including new phases of the Ulster Canal, the Narrow Water bridge project and a major new North-South research programme delivered by the Higher Education Authority.

We are also continuing the shared island dialogue series to foster deeper civic engagement on how we can work across all communities in practical meaningful ways for a shared future. In 2021, there was participation by over 1,000 civic representatives across all regions, communities and sectors in eight events. In-person and regional events will be convened during 2022 as part of the series, now that this is possible. A comprehensive research programme is also under way, working with the ESRI, the National Economic and Social Council, Irish Research Council and other partners on publishing a stream of high-quality work through this year, to inform discussions and engagement by all communities and traditions on the island on the opportunities of our shared future.

Since assuming our seat at the start of 2021, Ireland has played an active role on the UN Security Council. Together with Norway, we successfully led efforts to secure the renewal of the mandate for cross-border delivery of humanitarian assistance in Syria. We are closely involved in work on women, peace and security, and on upholding the Iran nuclear deal. At the September UN meeting, I spoke about the urgent need for a concerted multilateral response to climate change involving all organs of the UN. A key theme of the Irish presidency of the Security Council was the link between climate and security. Climate change is a major contributor to unrest across Africa and the developing world. Some 80% of UN peacekeepers are deployed in countries that are most exposed to climate change. Ireland, along with 60 other countries, is an active member of the wider group of friends on climate and security work. The Government is determined to continue to play its part on integrating climate-related security risks into the work we do to prevent conflict and build peace.

My Department supports whole-of-government efforts to combat poverty and disadvantage, improve the position of vulnerable groups, including people with disabilities, promote diversity and inclusion, tackle inequality in all its forms and provide ongoing support to children and families. Through the work of the Cabinet committee on social affairs and equality, we are overseeing implementation of programme for Government commitments in the areas of social policy, equality and public services, including matters relating to justice, policing reform and community safety. The Cabinet committee receives detailed reports on identified policy areas and considers the implementation of commitments and reforms. The Government is due to publish its new strategy on domestic, sexual and gender-based violence next month. The Cabinet sub-committee will be responsible for its implementation. The strategy will be underpinned by clear actions, timelines for reforms and robust accountability mechanisms, including a delivery board, to ensure that all organisations deliver on their obligations under the new strategy.

We will continue to support the work to build stronger and safer communities through reforms in policing and community safety, including oversight roles in the implementation of A Policing Service for the Future, the piloting of the local community safety partnerships and the Dublin north-east inner city initiative. There are also pilots of local community safety partnerships in Waterford city and county and Longford county. An Garda Síochána has established and strengthened resourcing of a human rights unit and established the strategic human rights advisory committee. The Government will continue to implement the reform programmes outlined in A Policing Service for the Future.

Through the work of the Cabinet committee on health, we will continue our investment in an expanded public health service and embed the lessons learned in the pandemic into community and primary care services. 2022 will see the biggest ever investment in the health system in order to deliver Sláintecare, reduce waiting lists, increase capacity, protect the most vulnerable and address inequalities.

The Government is committed to building a world-class education system from early years to higher and further education. Through the work of the Cabinet committee on education, we are overseeing major reforms to the funding model for early learning and childcare services, the development of a long-term sustainable funding model for higher level education, and the development of a new ten-year strategy for adult literacy, numeracy, and digital skills. We will work through the National Economic and Social Council and other new engagement structures to ensure that a full range of views can input into the development of economic and social policy.

Tackling climate change and transitioning to a climate-neutral economy remains a key focus of this Government. My Department plays an important role in driving implementation of our ambitious climate agenda, including by co-chairing the Cabinet committee on the environment and climate change and reporting on the implementation of the Climate Action Plan 2021. That plan is the latest in a suite of measures introduced by this Government to fundamentally alter our approach to climate change. Our new climate legislation, carbon budgets and annual climate action plans provide for clear targets, actions and accountability. This puts climate action at the heart of all of Government’s plans and policies over the next decade and beyond.

The Government has agreed to establish two citizens’ assemblies to run concurrently. One will be on biodiversity and will examine how the State can improve its response to the issue of biodiversity loss. The other will consider the type of directly elected mayor and local government structures best suited for Dublin. It is also our intention to set up a citizens' assembly on drugs later this year. A resolution setting out the terms of reference for these assemblies will be put forward to the Oireachtas for its approval.

Provision is made in the Revised Estimate for a number of independent inquiries, including the Moriarty tribunal, the Cregan commission and the Cooke commission. The estimated cost of the Cregan commission to date is €11 million and the cost for the Cooke commission it is approximately €3.9 million. I welcome the opportunity to discuss the Revised Estimates with Deputies.