Mr. James Kiernan:

I will add to that. Mr. Talbot has hit on all the main points. The Senator's question is really timely.

The framework for the goals is about having a country which is a better place for the people to live in. We should really bear in mind as we head into an election where we must ask what representatives we will elect to deliver that for us. There is not enough awareness among the public on the SDGs and where they fit in. It is an opportune time to do that. We probably also missed an opportunity around the SDG week in doing more around that. If we are looking at public campaigns, they should align with those SDG weeks. It has been outlined by us all here that we are not at the top of the list on engagement with the SDGs. That is because there is not enough public awareness. One rarely sees the SDGs displayed anywhere in public, especially if one leaves Dublin and goes down the country. I am involved in engaging with chambers all around the country. An awareness campaign is a way to do that, one that is timely, is ahead of the elections and is about how one's vote fits in with each SDG.

On the work that is being done on SDGs, some great work is being done in areas around it but the understanding on the part of the public is just not there at the moment. Even within companies, we find that senior management would be aware but it is not permeating to the staff. We are trying to do that and do more on it through our toolkits but as Mr. Talbot has said, we have established committees around the country to look at doing that.