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

I propose to take Questions Nos. 13 to 21, inclusive, together.

The Government has been working hard to implement the commitments in the programme for Government across a wide range of issues in all Departments. The ten Cabinet committees established by this Government reflect a broad range of policy areas that it will work on during its lifetime, as set out in the programme for Government. Cabinet committees meet regularly to continue this work. Strategy statements prepared by Departments reflect the key national priorities as outlined in the programme for Government. My Department has been involved in progressing some key programme for Government commitments in recent months, including ongoing monitoring and management of the impact of Covid-19 on the provision of both Covid and non-Covid healthcare; driving delivery of our commitments to a shared island on a whole-of-government basis through the shared island unit in my Department; the establishment of a unit in my Department to help support social dialogue; implementation of the Housing for All strategy, which is driving delivery of key housing-related commitments; the delivery of the economic recovery plan 2021, which focused on driving a sustainable jobs-rich recovery and under which significant milestones and progress have been achieved, including in the transition towards a decarbonised and digital economy.

The number of persons in employment is now over 2.5 million, which is in excess of the Government target contained in the economic recovery plan. In 2022, we will spend a record €21 billion on our health and social care services. This will allow us to reduce waiting lists, increase capacity, protect our most vulnerable, address inequalities and deliver the right care in the right place at the right time. Work is continuing to advance a number of priority programmes of work identified in the Sláintecare Implementation Strategy and Action Plan 2021-2023, including progressing six new regional health areas, waiting list reduction and taking steps towards the establishment of elective care centres in Dublin, Cork and Galway.

Significant progress has been made in education, including plans for a reimagined senior cycle of education; a €32 million increase in Department of Education expenditure on the Delivering Equality of Opportunity in Schools, DEIS, programme to benefit 347 schools, which is the largest ever increase and expansion of DEIS; a commitment to a reformed multi-funding model for third level education; and measures to reduce the cost of education for students and families through changes to the student grant scheme.

The Government will publish a second report on Ireland's well-being framework imminently, entitled Understanding Life in Ireland: A Well-being Framework. This report outlines the longer-term approach for embedding the well-being framework into the Irish policymaking system over time. This includes the development of an analysis of the well-being dashboard, which will be published alongside the report and which is to be reflected in the annual budget process. In February, we published Harnessing Digital - The Digital Ireland Framework, which seeks to position Ireland as a digital leader at the heart of European and global digital developments. It sets out a framework to drive and enable the digital transition across the economy and society.

We signed into law the Climate Action and Low Carbon Development (Amendment) Act 2021, the marine planning framework and the Maritime Area Planning Act, as well as publishing the climate action plan 2021 and adopting the carbon budget programme. Engagement is ongoing with EU leaders to advance a range of high-level objectives in the programme for Government, in particular in relation to Brexit, Covid, the European Union budget and the European Union green agenda, as well as pursuing a strong, collective response to Russia's illegal invasion of Ukraine.

Other commitments in the programme for Government being progressed include the implementation of Global Ireland 2025; supporting the work of the United Nations through our membership of the UN Security Council; progressing work on the Government's response to the Future of Media Commission report; the establishment of a transitional team in my Department to progress the administrative elements of the establishment of the electoral reform commission, anticipated later this year; completion of the work of the Citizens' Assembly on Gender Equality and the establishment of two further citizens' assemblies, one dealing with the issue of biodiversity loss and the other with the type of directly-elected mayor and local government structures best suited for Dublin. There is also ongoing oversight of the implementation of A Policing Service for our Future, the Government's plan to implement the report of the Commission on the Future of Policing in Ireland. Ensuring progress on implementation of the programme for Government will continue to be a priority across all Departments, as well as through the work of Cabinet committees.

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