Skip to main content
Normal View

Sustainable Development Goals

Dáil Éireann Debate, Tuesday - 18 May 2021

Tuesday, 18 May 2021

Questions (379, 380)

Holly Cairns

Question:

379. Deputy Holly Cairns asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage the progress made to include reference in all new statements of strategy to all sustainable development goal targets for which his Department has lead responsibility as outlined in the Sustainable Development Goals National Implementation Plan 2018-2020; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [25752/21]

View answer

Holly Cairns

Question:

380. Deputy Holly Cairns asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage the specific sustainable development goal targets his Department is responsible for implementing; the progress made in implementing those targets since 26 April 2018; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [25770/21]

View answer

Written answers

I propose to take Questions Nos. 379 and 380 together.

The UN 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and its 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) is a significant and ambitious policy agenda that concerns all Government Departments.

Overall political oversight for national SDG implementation is provided through the Cabinet, with each Minister having specific responsibility for implementing individual SDG targets related to their Ministerial functions. The Minister for the Environment, Climate and Communications (DECC) has responsibility for promoting the SDGs, and for overseeing their coherent implementation across Government.

The first National Implementation Plan (2018-2020), published in 2018, set out Ireland’s strategy to achieve the SDGs both domestically and internationally. The Goals are mainstreamed in domestic policy and the governance structure reflects a whole-of-government approach and ensures coordination and coherence, in particular where goals cover areas of shared responsibility.

19 Actions were included in the first National Implementation Plan. Action 4 of the plan set out a commitment to include reference in all new Statements of Strategy to the SDG targets for which a Department has lead responsibility.

The development of the next SDG Implementation Plan has commenced, with the intention of publication later this year. A National Progress report will be incorporated into the Plan and will assess progress on the 19 Actions, including the commitment set out under Action 4.

My Department recently published its Statement of Strategy 2021-2025 and in addition to including relevant actions in the body of the document, it also provided a clear link to the SDG goals by making explicit reference to them in the context-setting section dedicated to the Department's Mission, Values and Goals.

The Statement of Strategy is available on the Department's website at https://www.gov.ie/en/publication/9a047-statement-of-strategy-2021-2025/ 

An important element of the first National Implementation Plan is the SDG Policy Map and Matrix, which identified the lead and stakeholder Departments for each of the Goals and targets and also mapped national sectoral policies against the 17 SDGs and all 169 related targets, in order to identify which policies were most relevant to which SDGs and their associated targets.

The SDG Policy Map and Matrix enhances the ability of stakeholders to track Ireland’s implementation of specific SDGs and associated targets, and to assess Ireland’s response to the SDGs for potential policy gaps. It also supports and enhances cross-Government engagement in implementing each of the Goals and Targets. This policy map has recently been updated and is available online at gov.ie.

My Department has responsibility for leading implementation on:

- SDG 6 'Clean Water and Sanitation' with input from the Department of Foreign Affairs, the Department of the Environment, Climate and Communications, the Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment and the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine; 

- SDG 14 ‘Life Below Water’, with input from the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine and the Department of Foreign Affairs;

- SDG 15 ‘Life on Land’, with input from the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine, the Department of Finance and the Department of Foreign Affairs.

Progress on these Goals is provided in Table 1 attached.

My Department has input into SDG 1 ‘No Poverty’ and SDG 11 ‘Sustainable Cities and Communities’, and SDG 17 ‘Partnerships for the Goals’; however does not lead on the implementation of these goals.

Table

Question No. 380 answered with Question No. 379.
Top
Share