Micheál Martin (Cork South Central, Fianna Fail)
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The National Economic and Social Council (NESC) advises me on strategic policy issues relating to sustainable economic, social and environmental development in Ireland. The NESC work programme, in 2022, include five main areas:

- To carry out a major piece of research and consultation on climate, biodiversity and how to achieve a just transition in agriculture.

- To continue to help us deepen our understanding of how to deliver more affordable and sustainable housing systems drawing on international and national experience, including ongoing work in Ireland on cost rental.

- NESC is continuing to support work on Ireland’s well-being framework by examining how well-being frameworks are implemented in practice.

- NESC has undertaken an extensive programme of research and consultation to support the Shared Island Initiative. It produced a report on the Shared Island in Q1 2022, which made recommendations in five key areas: economy and infrastructural investment, social policy, climate and biodiversity, well-being frameworks and data coordination.

- It examined aspects of the Covid-19 pandemic to help identify strategic lessons about public governance and how government can be supported to arrange and manage its activity to deliver the best results for society. The findings of this examination were published in June this year.

The NESC Council published reports can be found at www.nesc.ie/publications/

As reports are finalised in the relevant areas they are brought to Government for approval in advance of publication.

Micheál Martin (Cork South Central, Fianna Fail)
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A Policing Service for our Futureis the Government’s Plan to implement the Report of the Commission on the Future of Policing in Ireland.

As recommended in the Commission’s report, implementation of the Plan is being overseen by a dedicated Programme Office in the Department of the Taoiseach.

The Policing Reform Implementation Programme Office monitors progress on A Policing Service for our Future, and supports the work of the Implementation Group on Policing Reform, which has an independent Chair, Helen Ryan. The Office also keeps the High-Level Steering Board on Policing Reform, chaired by the Secretary General of my Department, apprised of progress being made. In addition, progress is reported to the Cabinet Committee on Social Affairs and Equality, which I chair.

A Policing Service for our Futurehas been broken down in to four stages of implementation, namely:

1. The Building BlocksPhase;

2. The Launching Phase;

3. The ScalingPhase; and

4. The ConsolidationPhase.

The first three phases of A Policing Service for our Futurehave been completed and much has been achieved. For example:

- The roll-out of a new Operating Model for An Garda Síochána, designed to streamline Garda administration and to provide a more visible, responsive and localised policing service to communities nationwide is underway;

- The recruitment of nearly 1800 garda staff which has supported the reassignment of many gardaí to frontline policing duties;

- Roll-out of over 5000 digital communication devices enabling front-line gardai to perform their duties without returning to stations;

- An Garda Síochána has established and strengthened resourcing of a Human Rights Unit and re-established the Strategic Human Rights Advisory Committee;

- Local Community Safety Partnership Pilots have been established in three locations around the country, in Dublin’s North Inner City, Waterford City and County and Longford County;

- The development by An Garda Síochána of an Equality, Diversity and Inclusion Strategy Statement, and Action Plan 2020-2021; and

- launch of a three-year Garda Health and Wellbeing Strategy, which will see the introduction of additional health and wellbeing supports.

There has also been progress on legislative reform. The Government has approved the drafting of:

- the landmark Policing, Security and Community Safety Bill which provides for the most wide-ranging and coherent reform of policing in a generation;

- the Garda Síochána (Digital Recordings) Bill, which concerns the use of recording devices (including body worn cameras); and

- the Garda Síochána (Powers) Bill which brings together and modernises police powers of search, arrest and detention.

The Garda Síochána (Functions and Operational Area) Act 2022, which will facilitate the roll out of the new operating model, was brought into law earlier this year.

The future focus of the Programme for the final or Consolidation Phasewill be on several key organisational and corporate enablers to assist in achieving a sustainable transformation of policing.

This includes areas such as IT, HR and finance, which are key enablers across the entire reform programme, as well the necessary legislation, Operating Model, Community Safety and Non-Core Duties.