Sorca Clarke (Longford-Westmeath, Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

The Government's national implementation plan for the SDGs contains important principles and objectives shared with countries across the globe. The core commitment of Agenda 2030 is a pledge to leave no one behind. A focus is placed on ensuring the needs of the most vulnerable are met and quality and accessible services are to be enhanced. The Taoiseach has outlined the 51 actions involving 119 individual measures, but Ministers must deliver on outstanding Government commitments upon which these goals are built. An example is the transfer of disability services from the Department of Health to Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth, which has still not taken place despite there being a commitment in this regard in the programme for Government. I understand the blockage to the transfer lies with the Department of Public Expenditure and Reform, but no clarity has been provided as to what the issue actually is. We now have a crazy situation where the Minister for Health will no longer answer questions on services and budgets he says he is no longer responsible for and the Minister for Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth, Deputy O'Gorman, will not address these matters until such time as the transfer has taken place.

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