Darren O'Rourke (Meath East, Sinn Fein)
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66. To ask the Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform the degree to which commitment four of the Open Government Partnership National Action Plan 2016-2018 to enhance citizen engagement in policy making has been achieved in his Department and agencies; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [4806/21]

Darren O'Rourke (Meath East, Sinn Fein)
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68. To ask the Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform the status of the review of the Open Government Partnership National Action Plan 2016-2018; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [4803/21]

Darren O'Rourke (Meath East, Sinn Fein)
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69. To ask the Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform the degree to which commitment four of the Open Government Partnership National Action Plan 2016-2018 to enhance citizen engagement in policy making has been achieved; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [4804/21]

Michael McGrath (Cork South Central, Fianna Fail)
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I proposed to take Questions Nos. 66, 68 and 69 together.

Commitment Four of Ireland's Open Government Partnership National Action Plan 2016-2018 was to Enhance Citizen Engagement in Policy Making, to build capacity within public offices to engage citizens in policy making in a way that is accessible and meaningful, with the ultimate objective of leading to better outcomes and greater understanding and to create a culture of openness and responsiveness to the citizen in policy making across the public sector.

Four verifiable and measurable milestones were set out in the plan to fulfill the commitment. They were:

1. Create a Consultation Portal

2. Embed an awareness of best practice in external engagement in Civil Service training modules

3. Create a practitioners network to support citizen engagement

4. Establish a Children and Young People's Participation Hub

By the end of the period of that National Action Plan, my Department had established a framework to provide training for the Civil Service (Q2 2017). Additionally, a consultation portal was launched in September 2018.

The Children and Young People's Participation Hub’s web-page was developed in November 2017 (www.hubnanog.ie). Furthermore, a three-year development plan and an annual work plan were developed in 2018. Increased consultations with young people took place and a first training programme on creative methods of seeking to gauge the views of youth was delivered to adults working in the government. A practitioners' network to promote best practice in citizen engagement has not been developed.

The Open Government Partnership's Independent Reporting Mechanism (IRM) is an independent body that assesses progress in delivering National Action Plan commitments. IRM reports are written on the basis of independent research by experts in transparency, participation, and accountability. The IRM report on Ireland's 2016-2018 Open Government Partnership National Action Plan is available to download in full at .

The deadline for submitting an Action Plan within the current cycle (2020-2022) is 31st August 2021, with a further grace period available until 31st December 2021.

Preparatory work aimed at developing and agreeing a process through which our next Open Government Partnership National Plan will developed has already begun and I hope that a Memorandum seeking formal approval to commence a process aimed at developing a third Open Government Partnership National Plan will be submitted to Government shortly.