Gary Gannon (Dublin Central, Social Democrats)
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275. To ask the Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform the way in which the sustainable development goals will be reflected in the Strategy and Work Plan 2020-2025 of his Department; and the way in which progress towards achieving the goals will be monitored and reported annually. [18274/20]

Michael McGrath (Cork South Central, Fianna Fail)
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In accordance with the requirements of section 4 of the Public Service Management Act 1997, my Department has recently commenced the process of developing a Statement of Strategy for submission to me by mid-December 2020. The Statement of Strategy will map out the risks, challenges and opportunities that will shape the Department’s operating environment and set out the actions, outputs and outcomes for the Department for the next three years. Implementation of the Statement of Strategy will be underpinned by Annual Business Plans, which will set out in detail how the Department will deliver on its key priorities for each year. Key developments and achievements each year will be set out in the Department’s Annual Reports. The Statement of Strategy will take account of the policy commitments contained in the “Programme for Government – Our Shared Future” relevant to the Department.  

As the Deputy may be aware, the Programme for Government includes a commitment to developing a set of wellbeing indicators to give a more rounded, holistic view of how our society is faring.  The development of this work will be informed by the experience of other jurisdictions which have developed similar measures in recent years. The Programme for Government outlines that through the Department of the Taoiseach, a group of experts will be convened from the public service, academia, NGOs, and the private sector to guide this work. The United Nations Sustainable Development Goals combine to form a comprehensive framework that can be used to gauge progress in countries across the world; these goals can certainly play a part in informing the process of selecting wellbeing indicators for Ireland. 

Through my Department's responsibility for Performance and Equality budgeting, work is already underway in examining the latest developments in the wellbeing sphere – the Sustainable Development Goals are one example of this international best practice. Leveraging experience in identifying metrics which maximise transparency and accountability, and utilising the guidance we provide to line departments in identifying the most appropriate measures to scrutinise public expenditure, I envisage that my Department will play a key role in working with the Department of the Taoiseach in delivering this work.