Cathal Crowe
Question:87. Deputy Cathal Crowe asked the Taoiseach the main policy achievements of his Department since 22 January 2025. [70532/25]
View answerDepartmental Policies
Questions (87)
Written answers
Since January 2025, the Department of the Taoiseach has been working across Government – including through the vehicle of Cabinet Committees – to progress the implementation of the Programme for Government by:
• finalising the new National Housing Plan, ‘Delivering Homes, Building Communities: An Action Plan on Housing Supply and Targeting Homelessness, 2025-2030’. which aims to deliver 300,000 new homes by the end of 2030;
• supporting the preparation of Accelerating Infrastructure, the newly-published report and action plan to help drive the efficient delivery of infrastructure across Ireland, and associated sectoral infrastructure plans;
• supporting the new Government Action Plan on Competitiveness and Productivity, published in September;
• overseeing the review of the National Development Plan, published in July;
• implementing the Child Poverty and Well-Being Programme Office’s first Programme Plan to reduce child poverty and promote well-being, and preparing the second Programme Plan, informed by this year’s annual summit on child poverty and well-being, held in September;
• establishing a stand-alone Cabinet Committee on Disability and a Disability Unit within the Department of the Taoiseach, to oversee cross-government collaboration to improve the lives of disabled people, and the launch, in September, of the National Human Rights Strategy for Disabled People 2025-2030. The first meeting of this Cabinet Committee took place on 8 December, and the Strategy’s First Programme Plan of Action, covering 2025 and 2026, has been published.
• monitoring the implementation of the Climate Action Plan which contains key measures to help Ireland transition to a zero-carbon economy and society, and supporting the Taoiseach’s attendance at the COP30 Leader’s Summit in Belém, Brazil;
• coordinating, with the Department of Enterprise, Tourism and Employment, the implementation of Harnessing Digital – The Digital Ireland Framework, reflecting the Government’s commitment to driving the digital transition across our economy and society, and ensuring Ireland continues to be a digital leader at the heart of Europe, and globally, including by supporting the refreshing of the National Digital and AI Strategy;
• supporting the development of a new Action Plan for Insurance Reform, published in July 2025;
• engaging at EU and international level on the situation in the Middle East and, in particular, the humanitarian situation in Gaza, including by calling for full observance of international law by all parties;
• pursuing our international commitments, including strengthening our relationship with the United States;
• engaging with EU leaders to advance high-level objectives in the Programme for Government, in particular economic and competitiveness issues; energy security; external relations including with the UK; as well as continuing our strong, collective EU response to Russia’s illegal invasion of Ukraine; and hosting an official visit by President Zelensky of Ukraine in December;
• planning for the 2026 EU Presidency in close consultation with the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade;
• establishing the Ministerial Council on National Security, and coordinating the drafting of a National Security Strategy;
• renewing and strengthening the British-Irish bilateral relationship, including a commitment to a series of annual UK-Ireland Summits; the first of which was held in March 2025; and the British Irish Council Summit meetings, held in Northern Ireland in June and in Wales in December;
• launching a new phase of the Shared Island Initiative and announcing an allocation of €50m to deliver a range of new all-island programmes underpinned by the Shared Island Fund;
• establishing the COVID-19 Evaluation to assess Ireland’s management and experience of the pandemic to learn for the future;
• supporting the Cabinet Committee on Health, which oversees the implementation of Programme for Government commitments in relation to health, receives detailed reports on identified policy areas and considers health reforms including Sláintecare, the reform of public health and health system preparedness for future health threats. It also receives reports in relation to programme for Government commitments in the areas of mental health and drugs policy.;
• implementing the Well-Being Framework for Ireland and driving its whole of Government integration in policy making and budgetary systems;
• supporting the Cabinet Committee on Water Quality, which oversees the implementation of Programme for Government commitments in relation to the range of issues affecting Ireland’s water system, including Ireland’s ongoing discussions with the EU Commission on a new derogation for Ireland from certain aspects of the EU Nitrates Directive;
• promoting and supporting civic engagement, including through the work of the National Economic and Social Development Office; the Labour Employer Economic Forum; and exchanging ideas on an agenda and working methods for a structured dialogue between Government and churches, philosophical and non-confessional bodies.
• supporting the work of the North-East Inner City Initiative to deliver on their new Strategic Plan;
• supporting implementation of the Dublin City Taskforce Report Capital City through the Roadmap for Delivery, published in June;
• advancing the Government’s legislative programme.