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

Our Living Islands: National Island Policy 2023-2033 was launched in June of last year on the Gaeltacht island of Árainn Mhór, County Donegal. 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. The policy serves the communities of all our populated offshore islands, both Gaeltacht and non-Gaeltacht.

The Irish language is an essential part of community identity and heritage on a significant number of our populated offshore islands, especially the Gaeltacht islands. Statutory responsibility for the Irish language and the Gaeltacht rests with the Minister for Tourism, Culture, Arts, Gaeltacht, Sport and Media. That Department was represented on the interdepartmental committee which oversaw the development of the national islands policy and action plan.

Our Living Islands is a policy for the whole of Government. My Department's responsibility for the islands relates primarily to connectivity through subsidised transport services and supporting infrastructure development, along with overall policy co-ordination to support and sustain communities on our islands.

My Department chairs the monitoring committee, which was formed to oversee the implementation of Our Living Islands. There are seven islanders on this committee, three from the non-Gaeltacht islands, three from Gaeltacht islands, a representative of Comhar na nOileán, the local development company for the islands, and a representative from Údarás na Gaeltachta. The monitoring committee continues to engage with key Departments and State bodies on progress with the implementation of the action plan. It is due to have its next meeting later this morning.

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