Micheál Martin (Cork South Central, Fianna Fail)
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269. To ask the Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform the status of the implementation of the programme for partnership Government as it applies to his Department; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [24580/18]

Paschal Donohoe (Dublin Central, Fine Gael)
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The Deputy may wish to note that the latest Annual Report on the implementation of the Programme for Partnership Government will be published by the Department of the Taoiseach shortly. This will provide comprehensive detail on the latest position on the implementation of the programme across the whole of Government. In terms of my own Department, some areas of particular focus include the following:

- Our Public Service 2020 was published in December 2017 and sets out a new framework for public service reform. Its actions will build a stronger public service and deliver better quality services over the period 2018 to 2020 and beyond. Implementation of these actions is well underway.

- The Public Service Stability Agreement 2018-2020, which extends the Lansdowne Road Agreement, has been ratified by all parties and is now in place. The Public Service Pay and Pensions Act 2017 was passed in December 2017 to give effect to its terms.

- Following on from the first round of the three year Spending Review, which saw the publication of 22 papers, the second round is progressing.

- The policy paper 'Equality Budgeting: Proposed Next Steps in Ireland' sets out the pilot approach that is currently progressing for equality budgeting in the 2018 budgetary cycle. Learnings from the pilot, supported by an expert advisory group, will expand the initiative for the next budgetary cycle.

- The 10 year National Development Plan commits to €91 billion of Exchequer capital investment over the period of the Plan (2018-2027), bringing public capital investment levels in Ireland as a % of national income to amongst the highest in the EU.

- The PEACE and INTERREG programmes have been a key element of the EU's continuing commitment to the process of peace building and reconciliation and support for the Good Friday Agreement. A key priority of the PEACE IV programme is Shared Education to bring together school children and teachers from different communities and backgrounds. Projects have also been designed to help people live, learn and socialise with each other free from prejudice and hate.

Further details on the implementation of these and other priorities from the Programme for Partnership Government will be included in the upcoming Annual Report.