Mr. Niall McLoughlin:

I know the Deputy has left for the Chamber. I would certainly empathise with some of his comments on the use of slogans. It is a charge that has been levelled at us as a Department previously. Similarly, the SDGs need to mean more than the wearing of the pin on our lapels. I highlight again the stakeholders forums that we had and the opportunity we had to actually listen to the lived experiences of those who represent people who have been left behind. It gives us some kind of legitimacy in using that phrase. At the January forum we had people from the Irish Refugee Council, the national autism charity, Pavee Point Traveller and Roma Centre, youth services and organisations for lone parents. Hearing those lived experiences, having the officials in the room and having those conversations is really valuable. They have contributed greatly to the development of Ireland's voluntary national review, VNR, which was presented in July. We were there, warts and all. We did not go there with a glossy document saying everything was great. We had very important stakeholder chapters, including the one from the NDA I highlighted earlier, which really pointed out where we need to do more in order to reach those furthest behind.

As Mr. Gaffey said, technical work is required that is more than a slogan. Certainly, strategic objective number one of our national implementation plan is to better integrate the SDGs into the work of Departments to ensure greater policy coherence in respect of sustainable development and a number of steps have been taken to progress this objective. Really importantly, and going back to the Deputy's comment about the budget yesterday, we will incorporate the SDGs into the administrative and accountability framework across government under the national implementation plan, which was agreed by the Government. The SDGs will be incorporated into the regulatory impact assessment memoranda of the Government and the budgetary process. At the moment we are carrying out research on how we can make that happen in time to inform budget 2025. It is an issue also being grappled with by our European counterparts, and we are researching best practice. In respect of the budgetary process, the well-being framework is incorporated. We are looking at how that is being put together and at the research and recommendations at the moment. It is another step we are progressing in respect of strategic objective number one and working with the OECD for greater policy coherence. What I am trying to get across is the fact that, yes, there is a slogan there, we have been informed by it, we have gone out to the international community with it, but we are also putting in place the practical, technical steps required to actually deliver on the measures required to do something about it.