Catherine Connolly (Galway West, Independent)
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85. To ask the Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment further to Parliamentary Question No. 26 19 May 2022, if he will provide an update on his Department’s engagement with the Department of Foreign Affairs regarding the development of a second National Action Plan on Business and Human Rights; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [45186/22]

Leo Varadkar (Dublin West, Fine Gael)
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As the Deputy will be aware, Ireland's first National Plan on Business and Human Rights was launched by the Department of Foreign Affairs towards the end of 2017. The implementation of this whole-of-Government plan was overseen by a multi-stakeholder implementation group comprised of representatives of Government, civil society and business, including from my own Department.

Both the plan itself and the Programme for Government committed to a review of implementation of the Plan, and this was undertaken by the Department of Foreign Affairs in 2021. As part of that process, the draft report was considered at a special session of the implementation group. The Government noted the finalised review at its meeting on 3 December 2021, and it is available on the Department of Foreign Affairs website.

Discussions have commenced about how to bring forward a new plan, but a date has yet to be set for its completion and publication. Officials in my Department will continue to engage proactively with colleagues in the Department of Foreign Affairs to provide necessary input into a new plan.