Simon Harris (Wicklow, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

These questions get more interesting the closer you get to the end of this Dáil. I propose to take Questions Nos. 5 to 10, inclusive, together.

The Cabinet committee on the economy and investment was re-established by the Government on 10 April and most recently met on 1 July. The next meeting of the Cabinet committee has not yet been scheduled. The membership of the committee comprises the Taoiseach, the Tánaiste and Minister for Foreign Affairs, and Defence; the Minister for Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth; the Minister for Finance; the Minister for Public Expenditure, National Development Plan Delivery and Reform; the Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment; the Minister for the Environment, Climate and Communications, and Transport; and the Minister for Tourism, Culture, Arts, Gaeltacht, Sport and Media. Other Ministers or Ministers of State are invited to participate as required.

The committee oversees the implementation of programme for Government commitments aimed at sustainable economic recovery, investment and job creation, including Harnessing Digital, our national digital strategy. Despite many external challenges, we continue to see very strong economic performance in Ireland, with more people at work than ever before, low levels of unemployment and a return to real wage growth. Inflation, thankfully, continues to fall while households and businesses have been supported through the cost-of-living crisis. That support is ongoing, because while I know inflation has fallen, we have not yet seen the corresponding fall in the cost of living experienced by people in the real world. Our economic model continues to be founded on a well-established and successful pro-enterprise policy framework which tries to provide a stable and sustainable regulatory and tax environment, sound management of our public finances and significant investment in the infrastructure and skills required to ensure our future competitiveness.

Transport-related issues can arise in a number of different Cabinet committees, given their relevance to multiple policy areas. This includes the Cabinet committee on the economy and investment, the Cabinet committee on the environment and climate change and the Cabinet committee on housing. As with all policy areas, issues relating to the economy and transport are regularly discussed at full Cabinet meetings, where formal decisions are made, and, of course, in bilateral conversations between me and relevant Ministers.

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