Dara Calleary (Mayo, Fianna Fail)
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655. To ask the Minister for Culture, Heritage and the Gaeltacht if she will report on the meeting of the interdepartmental committee on island development; and the actions and timelines agreed. [39711/19]

Seán Kyne (Galway West, Fine Gael)
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The inaugural meeting of the Interdepartmental Committee for Island Development took place on Tuesday 24 September 2019.  Twelve Government Departments were represented at the meeting, and each made a valuable contribution outlining their roles and policies in connection with the offshore islands.  

I have requested that each Department's representative provide comprehensive details of their current Departmental policies in relation to the islands.  These will be collated by my officials and discussed at the next meeting, with a view to producing a draft consultation document for publication by end-November.  An extensive consultation process with island communities and other stakeholders will follow, which will further inform the policy development process. 

Bilateral meetings will also be arranged between my Department and the various other Departments, agencies and stakeholders to agree a policy document, with a view to presenting same to Cabinet in 2020.