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

I propose to take Questions Nos. 12 to 18, inclusive, together.

My Department’s Strategy Statement 2021-2023, which was published last year, reflects the role of the Department to support me, as Taoiseach, and the Government in order to ensure a sustainable economy and a successful society, to pursue Ireland’s interests abroad, to implement the Government programme and to build a better future for Ireland and for all of our citizens. My Department will provide progress reports under the six strategic priorities set out in the strategy through the normal annual reporting cycle.

My Department continues to work at the centre to ensure that policies that are developed support the Government’s commitment to develop Ireland in a sustainable way which supports economic development and social progress. It achieves this mainly through the Cabinet committee structure. Through the work of the ten Cabinet committees supported by my Department, a range of cross-Government work has been advanced under the new strategy statement. These include: management of the whole-of-government response to Covid-19, including the national vaccination programme roll-out; the economic recovery plan, which was published in June and the implementation of which is helping to drive a jobs-rich recovery and which will support the economy in transitioning towards a decarbonised and digital economy; publication of the Housing for All plan, an ambitious and far-reaching plan to address the provision of housing, increase the supply of housing and provide a sustainable housing system into the future; supporting the cross-Government work to manage the ongoing economic and political impacts of Brexit; driving delivery of our commitments for a shared island on a whole-of-government basis through the shared island unit in my Department and the shared island fund; supporting Ireland in its role in Europe and the world, including through my participation in the European Council, Ireland’s seat on the UN Security Council and with respect to continuing European Union-United Kingdom discussions on the Northern Ireland protocol; delivery of an initial well-being framework for Ireland and a supporting information hub, which have been developed to better understand and measure our progress as a country; the establishment of a social dialogue unit for my Department, which is working to co-ordinate and support the Government's overall approach to social dialogue; the work of the future media commission, which has now concluded; the completion of the work of the Citizens’ Assembly on gender equality; the launch of the revised national development plan, which sets out the road map for investment of €165 billion in new and upgraded infrastructure over the decade ahead; supporting the development of the Climate Action and Low Carbon Development Act 2021 and the Climate Action Plan 2021, which are key elements in a suite of measures introduced to fundamentally alter Ireland’s approach to climate change; and four legislative programmes, details of which have been published, to set out priority legislation across the Government.

My Department’s priorities for 2022 include: a continued focus on the whole-of-government response to Covid-19; economic recovery and investment; driving delivery of the housing plan and measures on climate action; progressing health and wider social reforms; European Union engagement; Northern Ireland; and establishing two citizens’ assemblies to run concurrently, one of which will be on biodiversity and another that will consider the type of directly elected mayor and local government structures that are best suited to Dublin.

Under the Public Service Management Act, 1997, Departments must prepare a new statement every three years or on the appointment of a new Minister.

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