Patrick O'Donovan (Limerick County, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

In the last Government I was a Minister of State with responsibility for the OGP. In the context of the round table established in 2021, some of its members include: the Open Government Association Ireland; Digital Rights Ireland; the Kildare Public Participation Network, PPN, representing all the PPNs; the Think-tank for Action on Social Change; the Wheel; Irish Rural Link; the Change Agency; and Innovate Communities. There are a number of public sector bodies as well.

This is on top of the work being done, for instance, in the citizens' assemblies and the PPNs, together with the work of the strategic policy committees in our local authorities, which the Deputy will be familiar with in his county. I mention also the work of our Oireachtas committees in bringing in groups from outside to give views. The citizens' assembly model has led on this but it ultimately comes back to the Oireachtas to make sure that level of engagement can be fostered on a continuing basis. There is possibly a role, for instance, for the Seanad. It has done an awful lot of work on this. I do not want to speak for the Seanad as I am not a Senator but in that context there is a greater level of positioning that the other House might possibly be able to take up on this.

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