Dáil Éireann Debate, Tuesday - 18 April 2023
108. Deputy Rose Conway-Walsh asked the Taoiseach the number of meetings that have taken place of the Strategic Foresight and Strengthening Policy Development research project, jointly overseen by his Department. [18103/23]
View answerAn ongoing joint project between the Department of the Taoiseach and the Department of Public Expenditure NDP Delivery and Reform is ‘Strengthening Policy Development and Strategic Foresight’ which was initiated to enhance overall policy development and strategic foresight capabilities across the Civil and Public Service.
A range of meetings between different groups have taken place under the project, including advisory and steering group meetings, OECD-led workshops, and regular updates between project teams in both departments and the OECD.
To inform the outputs of the project, the OECD conducted a research mission in Ireland in May 2022.
This mission consisted of multiple interviews with Government ministers, senior civil servants, and members of the Oireachtas, including members of the opposition.
Between these groups, workshops, and the research mission, there have been 35 meetings and more are scheduled to take place before the project concludes. This is in addition to regular check-in meetings between the project teams involved.
Outputs under the project include:
· an assessment report which examines the current state of policy development and elements of strategic foresight in the Irish civil service;
· workshops on how best to advance policy development and strategic foresight across the civil and public service; and
· the development of pilot capacity building programmes on strategic foresight.
