Ivana Bacik
Question:159. Deputy Ivana Bacik asked the Taoiseach if he will report on the work of the National Economic and Social Council, a statutory agency operating under the aegis of his Department. [18696/25]
View answerTuesday, 29 April 2025
Questions (159)
Written answers
The National Economic and Social Council (NESC) advises me on strategic policy issues relating to sustainable economic, social, and environmental development in Ireland. NESC is currently working in five main areas:
· Ireland’s Future Power System and Economic Resilience: this work investigates the impact of renewable energy targets in four areas: economic and enterprise opportunities, reliability of supply, energy costs, and the export potential. The first in a series of reports on this topic was published on 18 April.
· Housing- Compact Growth: this project examines Ireland’s performance on moving to a pattern of more compact growth and development and the obstacles that need to be overcome. The Council makes several recommendations to achieve more progress on compact growth and welcomes the Programme for Government commitments of relevance to the achievement of compact growth. It is expected that a report will be published in the coming weeks.
· Artificial Intelligence: this work will include a focus on AI adoption and its impacts in Irish public services and the labour market. It will focus on issues such as transparency, ethics and equity and will help build public trust and confidence around the challenges and opportunities of AI. It is expected that this work will be completed in Q4 2025.
· Household and Communities’ Perspectives on Energy: this work focuses on the benefits, for households and communities, from new approaches to how we use and generate energy. It will consider protections for vulnerable groups, including those experiencing energy poverty. It is expected that this report will be published in Q2 2025.
· Carrying and Delivery Capacity: this work, in collaboration with the National Competitiveness and Productivity Council, will look at ways Ireland could improve its long-term planning, provision, and delivery capacity, in areas such as housing, infrastructure, healthcare, and other services. It is expected that this report will be completed in Q4 2025.
Work on this programme will be ongoing throughout the rest of 2025.