Jim O'Callaghan (Dublin Bay South, Fianna Fail)
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235. To ask the Minister for Finance the main policy achievements of his Department since 27 June 2020; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [61649/22]

Paschal Donohoe (Dublin Central, Fine Gael)
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Since the formation of the Government on 27 June 2020 the Department of Finance has delivered a number of policy achievements which include;

- Budget 2021, 22 and 23

The unforeseen challenges of Ukraine, the ongoing recovery from the pandemic and the continuing fallout from Brexit were addressed from a position of strength with record levels of employment and a budget surplus.

- Covid 19 related support schemes

The range of unprecedented proactive and pro-cyclical interventions to support the economy during the pandemic, all of which were made possible by the prudent management of the public finances in the pre-Covid years.

- International Tax Reform

The agreement reached by Ireland with 130 other countries in October 2021 represents an important step towards resolving the issues brought about by the digitalisation of the economy and provides certainty for multinational enterprises whose business models are so important for the Irish economy.

In addition to these highlights, the Department has worked collaboratively on achieving positive results across the divisions on policies in Economics, EU and International Affairs, and Climate Finance and Financial Services. More details on these achievements are available in the annual reports for 2020 and 2021 and are available on thegov.ie site.

These provide more information on initiatives such as Insurance reform, the Retail Banking Dialogue, the Commission on Taxation and Welfare, the selling down of the State ownership in Bank of Ireland and AIB, the Senior Executive Accountability Regime, and the Credit Union policy review as well as on annual events, such as the National Economic Dialogue. The 2022 annual report is due to be published and uploaded to thegov.ie website in quarter three of 2023. More detail on the strategic framework that underpins the policy achievements since 27 June 2020 is available in the publication “Department of Finance Statement of Strategy 2021 to 2023” that is also available on the gov.iesite.