Heather Humphreys (Cavan-Monaghan, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

As the Deputy will be aware, I launched Our Living Islands - the National Island Policy 2023-2033 in June of last year. Our Living Islands is a substantial document, a ten-year policy backed up by rolling three-year action plans. It has time-bound commitments so that Departments and agencies across Government can be held to account for its implementation. Following the publication of the policy, I established a monitoring committee, chaired by my Department, to engage with key Departments, agencies and local authorities regarding progress on implementation of the action plan. The committee includes six representatives of the island communities, nominated by Comhdháil Oileáin na hÉireann, along with a representative of Comhar na nOileán, the local development company for the islands. The committee also includes representatives of Departments and State bodies which have key roles in the delivery of the policy and action plan.

The inaugural meeting of the monitoring committee took place on 7 December 2023, and the next meeting will be held in Galway tomorrow, Wednesday, 6 March. Updates will be provided at tomorrow's meeting on progress on the action plan, particularly on those actions with a timeline of Quarter 3 or Quarter 4 2023. The terms of reference and membership of the monitoring committee have been published on the Our Living Islands website on gov.ie. They reflect the Government's commitment to ensuring that island communities are key participants in the process. Minutes of the monitoring committee meetings will also be published on the Our Living Islands web page once they have been agreed.

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