Vol. 572 No. 6
114 Mr. P. Breen asked the Minister for Community, Rural and Gaeltacht Affairs his views on the work undertaken by the interdepartmental committee for the islands, the Gaeltacht and the Irish language; and the future initiatives the committee intends to undertake. [24132/03]
My Department recognises the need to co-ordinate its service delivery approaches with those of other Departments and bodies. Management of cross-cutting issues is vital to the effective performance of the Department because many key functions are performed in tandem with a wide range of other State agencies. The Deputy will be aware that one of the mechanisms for advancing progress on these cross-cutting issues is the interdepartmental committee on community, rural and Gaeltacht affairs. This provides a forum for agreeing joint actions with other Departments and agencies on issues of material interest to my Department.
Since its establishment, the committee has played an important role in the co-ordination of the provision of State services for communities, including urban, rural, Gaeltacht and island communities, as well as in relation to matters concerning the Irish language. Arising from the work of the committee, mainly through a series of bilateral meetings, a number of improvements have been made to schemes operated by other Departments. It is my intention to continue to pursue specific issues of importance to my Department's remit through this forum, particularly on a bilateral basis with the Departments and agencies concerned.
