Joe O'Brien (Dublin Fingal, Green Party) | Oireachtas source

We are using a couple of mechanisms to try to push that and expand that approach across government. In his question, the Deputy proposes the convening of a working group. In many respects that working groups already exists. We have a cross-sectoral group tasked with implementing the five-year strategy. It includes officials from quite a few Departments, including the Departments of Health, further and higher education, housing, environment, children and integration and, obviously, the Department of Social Protection. The group draws up an annual work plan and has created one for 2024 setting out 24 or 25 priorities. It will meet approximately three times a year and will have subgroups that will focus on particular areas.

An area on which the group has decided to focus and that touches on the issue the Deputy raised is the commissioning exercise it has started. That decision was taken by the group, which has a roughly 50:50 split between community and voluntary sector groups and Government agencies. The commissioning exercise it has decided to focus on is probably the most relevant work the group is currently doing.

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