Leo Varadkar (Dublin West, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I propose to take Questions Nos. 3 to 10, inclusive, together.

The public service, justice and policing reform unit is part of the wider social policy and public service reform division within the Department of the Taoiseach. The work of the unit assists me, in my role as Taoiseach, on criminal justice and policing reform, public service reform, social affairs and other related matters, assists the Civil Service management board, including the Civil Service renewal programme, and contributes to the oversight and governance of the new public services reform plan. The unit also assists the work of the Cabinet committee on social affairs and public services and the associated senior officials' group established to oversee implementation of programme for Government commitments in the areas of social policy, equality, integration and public services.

The policy areas covered include gender equality, which encompasses efforts to reduce domestic, sexual and gender-based violence; area-based disadvantage, where my Department is involved in new approaches to community safety and also chairs the programme board extending the lessons from the new model of intervention in the north east inner city to other areas that experience disadvantage; and a broad range of other social affairs matters, including arts and culture, diversity, social inclusion and child poverty, migrant integration, the Irish language, and sport. The unit incorporates the policing reform implementation programme office which oversees the implementation of A Policing Service for our Future, the Government's plan to reform policing in Ireland in line with the report of the Commission on the Future of Policing in Ireland. In addition, the section has departmental oversight of the National Economic and Social Council, participates in relevant interdepartmental committees and other groups, and provides me with briefings and speech material on all related matters.

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