Jim O'Callaghan (Dublin Bay South, Fianna Fail)
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11. To ask the Tánaiste and Minister for Justice and Equality if his Department will publish a new statement of strategy in 2017; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [44213/17]

Jim O'Callaghan (Dublin Bay South, Fianna Fail)
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If the Minister listens carefully to this question and gives a proper answer to it, he will see that it relates to a proposal that could have the effect of reducing his workload. As those of us who cover the justice and equality portfolio and are members of the Joint Committee on Justice and Equality are well aware, the breadth and jurisdiction of the Department of Justice and Equality is enormous. Its remit extends to areas like equality, disabilities, property rights, gambling, data protection and immigration. This question seeks to ascertain whether the Department will publish a new statement of strategy in 2017 in order to deal with some of these issues. If this question is answered carefully and correctly, it could result in a reduction in the Minister's workload.

Mick Wallace (Wexford, Independent)
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Good one.

Charles Flanagan (Laois, Fine Gael)
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I am pleased that the Deputy is acknowledging my workload.

Declan Breathnach (Louth, Fianna Fail)
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We all acknowledge it.

Charles Flanagan (Laois, Fine Gael)
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I assure him of my continued endeavours in that regard. This question relates to a new statement of strategy. The current strategy statement for the Department of Justice and Equality covers the period from 2016 to 2019. In accordance with section 4 of the Public Service Management Act 1997, the Department is preparing a new strategy statement to cover the period from 2017 to 2020. This process will be completed by the end of this year. The strategy will then be laid before the Houses of the Oireachtas and published.

The strategy statement will set out the key strategic objectives of the Department of Justice and Equality and the priority actions needed to achieve those objectives, including actions to support access to justice, gender equality, crime reduction and a fair and balanced immigration and protection regime.

The consultation process that is under way will inform the development of the new strategy for the period 2017 to 2020. I acknowledge the role of this Parliament in the public consultation process. The Joint Committee on Justice and Equality has participated in the process, as it did when previous strategy statements were being compiled. Correspondence with respect to the strategy statement was sent to the joint committee earlier this year. I have not seen the response, but I look forward to receiving it and giving appropriate consideration to any recommendations or observations that might be made.

Jim O'Callaghan (Dublin Bay South, Fianna Fail)
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It is welcome that a statement of strategy for the years from 2017 to 2020 will be published later this year. It is worthwhile for the Department of Justice and Equality to take time to consider issues and to assess how it should make progress. For far too long, the Department has operated on the basis of the next crisis on the list, such as an issue pertaining to the Garda Síochána or the prisons. As a result, many important issues do not get dealt with, unfortunately. I have been my party's spokesperson on justice and equality for almost 18 months. We have dealt with very few equality issues during that time. We need to recognise that equality was previously part of a different Department. I think disability also gets lost in the Department of Justice and Equality. There is an argument to be made that responsibility for disability should be given to the Department of Social Protection. The Department of Justice and Equality is also responsible for the rights and regulation of charities, gambling, property services and data protection. Perhaps responsibility for gambling could be transferred to the Department of Finance. I am not making a definitive commitment in this regard, but I am suggesting that we should consider transferring these areas to other Departments. If we do not do so, they might get lost in the morass of issues in the Department of Justice and Equality.

Charles Flanagan (Laois, Fine Gael)
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I acknowledge the active and constructive leadership of both Ministers of State at the Department of Justice and Equality, Deputies Finian McGrath and David Stanton, in the areas referred to by the Deputy. They undertake a huge amount of work on certain aspects of the remit of the Department. I remind Deputy O'Callaghan that I have responsibilities to the obligations and commitments in the justice and equality areas that were made under the programme for Government last year. I am keen to see those obligations and commitments implemented in full. The Department of Justice and Equality has commenced an external and internal consultation process to identify any additional strategic and cross-agency issues that need to be addressed in the new strategy statement. A number of questions here this afternoon have referred to the relationship between the Department and a range of other Departments, including the Department of Transport, Tourism and Sport. I assure the Deputy that a number of responses have already been received on foot of the ongoing consultations. All of them will be considered as the strategy is finalised. I look forward to receiving a formal submission from the Joint Committee on Justice and Equality.

Jim O'Callaghan (Dublin Bay South, Fianna Fail)
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It is appropriate for consideration to be given to the reallocation of responsibility for certain areas for which the Department of Justice and Equality is now responsible. This should not be done to reduce the workload - that is the wrong expression - but to ensure all areas within the Department are given thorough and full consideration. I note what the Minister said about his "active and constructive" Ministers of State. I will not make any comment on that other than to say that the Minister of State, Deputy Stanton, does a great deal of work when he comes before the Joint Committee on Justice and Equality. We need to give full consideration to where we should go from here. I suggest that the Minister should attend a meeting of the joint committee to hear the opinions of members on whether some issues within the jurisdiction of the Department could be moved to other Departments. The Minister said that much of his time is spent dealing with the contents of the programme for Government. I am afraid Fine Gael is partly responsible for that because of its decision to give in so significantly to the Minister for Transport, Tourism and Sport, Deputy Ross, who wrote a large part of the justice section of the programme for Government. The Minister, Deputy Flanagan, is a victim of that now. He has to implement the Ross agenda, but he should not become a prisoner of the Minister for Transport, Tourism and Sport. He should ensure that he is allowed to introduce his own policy proposals in areas covered by the Department of Justice and Equality.

Charles Flanagan (Laois, Fine Gael)
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In case there is any misunderstanding, the record will clearly show I said that both Ministers of State are "active and constructive", and not "active or constructive."

They are both hard-working Ministers of State and I very much value their contribution to the Department and the provision of public services.

We may have an opportunity to discuss the matter before the end of the year. The strategy statement is a high-level document and it is important that there are appropriate mechanisms for monitoring and implementation. That will be managed through the annual strategic implementation plan which will be published and will detail the full range of actions to be taken in order to achieve the objectives of the plan.

Progress will be monitored on a monthly basis by the management board. Progress updates will be published regularly on the Department's website and in the annual report. That does not account for the very important engagement I will have with various with various committees of the House, as well as the plenary engagement we are having today.