Denis Naughten (Roscommon-Galway, Independent)
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264. To ask the Minister for Transport, Tourism and Sport the progress made by his Department in respect of targets and goals set out in sustainable development goals of the 2030 United Nations Agenda for Sustainable Development under the policy remit of his Department; and if these targets and goals will be met by their respective deadlines. [12913/23]

Eamon Ryan (Dublin Bay South, Green Party)
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The 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and the 17 UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) is a significant and ambitious framework. A whole-of-Government approach to its implementation has been taken in Ireland.

Ireland’s Second National Implementation Plan for the Sustainable Development Goals, 2022 – 2024 was published in October 2022. The Plan was developed by the Department of the Environment, Climate and Communications in collaboration with all Government Departments, key stakeholders, and based on input from two public consultation processes. A key objective of the Plan is to achieve greater policy coherence for Sustainable Development with the aim of accelerating achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) at all levels of Government.

The Plan is supplemented by two supporting documents: an SDG policy map which identifies the lead Departments and relevant national policies for each of the 169 SDG targets; and a Policy Update document which provides policy updates for each of the SDG targets. These documents are available at www.gov.ie/sdgs

The Central Statistics Office, in collaboration with all Government Departments, has prepared a series of statistical publications which monitor and report on how Ireland is progressing towards meeting its targets under the 17 SDGs. Reports are available for SDGs 1 – 16 and can be found on the central statistics website.

Ireland will present its second Voluntary National Review (VNR) to the UN High-Level Political Forum in July 2023. The VNR report will comprise a high-level data section and a more detailed appendix reporting on progress in respect of achieving the SDGs and related targets.

The Department of Transport has direct responsibility for two targets in the SDGs in the areas of road safety (Target 3.6) and ensuring sustainable, safe and accessible transport for all (Target 11.2).

In relation to Target 3.6, the current framework for road safety is set out in the Government’s fifth Road Safety Strategy 2021 – 2030, which was launched in December 2021. It is the blueprint for making the roads safer for all during this decade and has a particular focus on vulnerable road users such as pedestrians and cyclists. This follows international best practice, aligns the timeframe with EU and UN targets, and is based on a Safe System approach. The Strategy sets a target of a 50% reduction in deaths and serious injuries by 2030 and will be delivered in 3 phases.

We are currently in phase 1: 2021 – 2022. There are 186 Actions in the Road Safety Strategy, to be delivered ranging from delivery of feasibility studies, infrastructure investments and development of new legislation. Successful delivery of the Strategy is dependent upon cooperation and contributions from Government Departments, key stakeholders and road users alike.

Regarding Target 11.2, the department and its agencies are progressively making public transport accessible for all, and especially those in vulnerable situations, in both rural and urban areas, by ensuring that new infrastructure and services are accessible from the design stage and retro-fitting older (legacy) infrastructure and facilities to make them accessible.

The department also provides public service obligation (PSO) funding for socially necessary, but uneconomical, public transport services to promote both the development of an integrated, accessible and sustainable public transport network and the integration of local and rural transport services.

Furthermore, in line with the ‘leave no one and no place behind’ SDG principle, the department is funding the rollout of the NTA’s ‘Connecting Ireland Rural Mobility Plan’ to provide new and expanded public transport services in rural and regional areas nationwide. Hundreds of rural villages and areas will for the first time be served by a viable public transport link.