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

I propose to take Questions Nos. 9 to 15, inclusive, together.

The well-being framework is a programme for Government commitment to measure how we are doing overall as a country and improve our understanding of quality of life in Ireland. It does this by bringing economic, societal and environmental impacts together under one framework. It also places a particular focus on equality and sustaining well-being into the future.

In June, the Government published a second report on Ireland's well-being framework, Understanding Life in Ireland: A Well-being Framework. This report outlines the longer term approach for integrating the framework into the Irish policymaking system over time. Alongside the second report, a high-level analysis of the well-being dashboard, which is hosted by the Central Statistics Office, was also published. This provides a medium-term, holistic view of quality of life in Ireland. Overall, the dashboard provides a positive picture of the country, as Ireland performs well in 21 of the 35 indicators. Only one dimension reveals a negative overall picture, namely, the environment, climate and biodiversity dimension.

This year, the well-being framework and the high-level analysis fed into the budgetary process. It was a theme at the national economic dialogue in June, and the analysis featured in the summer economic statement and as part of budget day documents. This will now be an annual contribution to the budgetary process that will support a broader discussion of the impacts of budgetary decisions. Work is ongoing in the Department of Public Expenditure and Reform on how to further integrate the framework into policymaking and expenditure decisions.

It is important that further integration is progressed in a measured and coherent way and implemented gradually. Over time, the framework can help inform policymakers take a more rounded view, based on evidence, of what determines quality of life in Ireland beyond just economic growth.

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