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

I propose to take Questions Nos. 7 to 13, inclusive, together.

The Department's annual report for 2022 was published on gov.ieand laid before the Houses in September. The report sets out the work of the Department in 2022 to achieve the strategic priorities set out in the Department’s three-year Statement of Strategy 2021-2023.

The Department is working to ensure that all Departments' policies align to the Government's agenda and develop Ireland in a sustainable way which assists economic development and social progress.

Through the work of the ten Cabinet committees, a range of cross-government work was advanced during 2022 in line with the strategic priorities set out. These include progress on the Housing for All action plan, with almost 30,000 new homes completed in 2022 and, we expect, more than that this year; implementation of the climate action plan and accelerating Ireland's response to the climate crisis; mobilising the cross-government humanitarian response, including the provision of emergency accommodation, with over 70,000 arrivals from Ukraine under the temporary protection directive during 2022; initiating the establishment of a new child poverty and well-being programme office to provide a whole-of-government focus to reducing child poverty and improving child well-being; implementing policies targeting sustainable development and economic recovery, investment and job creation including the new national digital strategy and providing a comprehensive cost-of-living package to help families; a comprehensive programme of dialogues and research by the shared island unit underpinned by the Shared Island Fund, with approximately €250 million allocated to date; citizen assemblies on a directly-elected mayor for Dublin and biodiversity loss held; the programme of events as part of the decade of commemorations, including the centenaries of the handover of Dublin Castle, the Civil War and the inauguration of the Free State; advancing Ireland's role in Europe and the world, including through participation in the European Council and the UN Security Council and General Assembly; continued engagement with the main political parties in the North and the UK Government on the return of a functioning Assembly and Executive; and continued cross-government focus on integrating the well-being framework into policy-making and expenditure decisions.

A new Statement of Strategy 2023-2025 for the Department of the Taoiseach was published on gov.iein July and this sets out the strategic priorities for the Department for the next three years.

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