Malcolm Byrne (Wicklow-Wexford, Fianna Fail)
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458. To ask the Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment the level of foresight or future planning that operates within his Department; who is responsible for long-term planning; the input these individuals or teams have into Departmental policy and practice; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [61660/25]

Peter Burke (Longford-Westmeath, Fine Gael)
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My Department’s Statement of Strategy for 2025-2028 was published on 17th October 2025. It sets out a path to drive competitiveness, sustainability and prosperity over the next three years.

The new strategy comprises six cross-cutting goals aimed at strengthening Ireland’s position as a leading location to work, do business and visit. It places a strong emphasis on innovation, digitalisation, decarbonisation and infrastructure, while also recognising the vital role of tourism as a key economic driver.

The ambitions of the Programme for Government are integral to this strategy, with an objective to ensure that Ireland continues to build on its strengths, as an open economy with strong tourism, trade and foreign direct investment, a vibrant innovation ecosystem, and a resilient labour market. My Department, its Offices and Agencies will work collaboratively with colleagues across Government, business, employer and worker representatives, other stakeholders and at EU and international level to achieve our strategic goals.

In addition, the Programme for Government includes a commitment to publish a new enterprise strategy, Enterprise 2035, as a medium to long-term ambition for enterprise growth and job creation over the coming decade. Preliminary work has commenced on the scoping of this new strategy. This preliminary work includes the undertaking of Strategic Foresight research on global Megatrends, which is currently in progress and seeks to identify long term shifts potentially impacting Ireland’s economy. As part of this undertaking, my Department also hosted a cross-Government capacity building workshop in the area of Strategic Foresight in recent weeks, to enhance capacity in the area of Strategic Foresight including on methods, use cases and international best practices. This foresight work is expected to progress in the months ahead and will ultimately be reflected in Enterprise 2035 as the strategy is developed during the course of 2026.

My Department also inputs into the National Risk Assessment process. First published in 2014, the National Risk Assessment provides an opportunity to identify and discuss significant risks that may arise for Ireland over the short, medium and long term. My Department inputs into the inter-Departmental Steering Group which oversees the Assessment. This has allowed for the proper identification of a number of economic risks with strong relevance to my Department, including inflation; disruption to a secure and sustainable energy supply; Ireland’s enterprise mix, changes to international trading relationships; public finances and the financial system; and supply chain and capacity constraints.