Catherine Connolly (Galway West, Independent)
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160. To ask the Minister for Rural and Community Development further to Parliamentary Question No. 23 of 9 May 2024, to provide an update on the work of the monitoring committee for the implementation of the new policy for the islands; the date of the most recent meeting; the date of the next meeting; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [26512/24]

Heather Humphreys (Cavan-Monaghan, Fine Gael)
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As the Deputy will be aware, I launched Our Living Islands - the National Island Policy 2023-2033 in June of last year.

Our Living Islands is a substantial document – a ten-year policy backed up by rolling three year action plans. It has time-bound commitments so that Departments and agencies across Government can be held to account for its implementation.

Following the publication of the policy, I established a Monitoring Committee, chaired by my Department, to engage with key Government Departments, agencies and local authorities in relation to implementation of the action plan.

The committee includes representatives of the island communities and representatives of Departments and State bodies which have key roles in the delivery of the policy and action plan.

The most recent meeting of the Monitoring Committee was held on 21 May. The relevant Departments and Agencies provided progress updates at that meeting, particularly in relation to actions due for completion by the date of the meeting. Further updates have been received since then from Departments with actions due for completion by the end of Quarter 2 of 2024. All of these updates will be included in a progress report to be published shortly.

The next meeting of the Monitoring Committee is scheduled for 10 October.