Marc Ó Cathasaigh (Waterford, Green Party)
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93. To ask the Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade if he will report on the engagement between his Department's officials and the Welsh Commissioner for Future Generations. [54588/22]

Simon Coveney (Cork South Central, Fine Gael)
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The Ireland Wales Shared Statement and Joint Action Plan 2021-25, which I launched last year with the Welsh First Minister, Mark Drakeford, commits to exchange learning on implementation of the Sustainable Development Goals, including on legislating for sustainable development from Wales’ Well-being of Future Generations Act 2015.

The position of Future Generations Commissioner was established as part of Wales’ Well-being of Future Generations Act 2015: the Act aims to safeguard future generations by challenging short-term economic decision-making and improving social, economic, environmental and cultural well-being outcomes.  Commissioner Sophie Howe was appointed in 2016

I met with Commissioner Howe during the inaugural Ireland Wales Forum, held in Cardiff in October 2021.

Over the past year, officials from my Department, along with officials in the Department of the Taoiseach, have met with Commissioner Howe on a number of occasions to exchange learning and best practice. These engagements were aimed at contributing to the development of Ireland’s Well-Being Framework, a Programme for Government commitment intended to measure how we are doing overall as a country and to improve our understanding of quality of life in Ireland.

The example Wales has set was considered as part of the National Economic and Social Council's research, which fed into the Government's Second Report on Ireland’s Well-being Framework, published in June this year. This Report, outlines the longer-term approach for integrating the Framework into the Irish policymaking system over time.

I last met briefly with Commissioner Howe when she visited Dublin at the end of October. During that visit, she presented on her role and work at an event in Iveagh House to Irish policy makers and civil society leaders. Her wider programme included meetings with the Oireachtas and university engagements.

Commissioner Howe also participated in an event organised by Ireland and Wales in advance of the 65th Session of the UN Commission on the Status of Women in March 2021.