Gerald Nash (Louth, Labour) | Oireachtas source

I, too, join Members in praising Deputy Ó Cathasaigh for his farsightedness in developing and introducing this important legislation. If I have one regret, it is that I did not have the opportunity to do that myself. The Bill relates to an area I have been considering very closely in recent years. I have always taken an interest in the approach taken by our comrades in the Welsh Assembly and Government. The Welsh legislation was initiated by colleagues in the Labour Party in Wales. Several people in the Visitors Gallery this afternoon have an interest in our Bill and may have assisted and advised with respect to it. That is a good thing. I assure these individuals that having so many Deputies and a senior Government Minister contributing to the debate is, from my experience as someone who regularly contributes to debates on Thursdays and who has had some Bills drawn in the lottery, is a good sign. I hope it is indicative of genuine interest in the legislation and the requirement for our national Legislature and Government, and indeed future governments, to take the kind of approach in question.

It was once a given that each generation's lot would be better than that of the generation that went before it, or, rather, that the next generation would always be better off and doing better more generally than the one that went before it, but sadly that is no longer the case. The Legislature needs to take this more seriously and be more responsive. That is not easy. The social contract – the idea that by studying and working hard and making a contribution to society, you benefit from all the awards people should be able to obtain in a just, fair and equal society – is fraying for many reasons. We can talk all day about the impact of the so-called neoliberal agenda and the changes in politics and economic thought over the previous generation. There has, of course, been an impact and we all need to be concerned about that. Deputy Ó Cathasaigh has not overstated what this legislation can and would be expected to achieve. That is reasonable and fair. However, the Bill is an important contribution to creating a better, fairer and more equal society and to formalising a process we do not have at the moment. The Deputy proposes to introduce what is effectively a watchdog or, more appropriately, a guardian of the future to be put at the heart of government. It would keep governments honest in their approach to future generations.

As has been said, the Welsh Assembly passed the Well-being of Future Generations (Wales) Act eight years ago. Under that Act, it established a commissioner, as this Bill seeks to do, to protect the interests of future generations in developing government policy. The Welsh asked themselves the question we must ask ourselves. What kind of country do we want to pass on to future generations? The Welsh decided on seven principles that would guide its new commission. It wanted to create a country for future generations that was prosperous, resilient, healthier, more equal and globally responsible, as well as one that had more cohesive communities and a vibrant culture. It wanted to create the kind of country or globe we all want to see. To achieve these laudable goals, the new commissioner was asked to ensure policies would take account of the long term, to prevent problems from occurring and the worsening of existing problems, to ensure a collaborative and integrated approach across government departments and state agencies, and to consider the inclusion of people of all ages and diverse backgrounds in policymaking. While the results in Wales have been mixed, the commissioner has been vocal in calling the assembly and Executive to account regarding the long-term goals of the legislation. That goes to the heart of the point of the Bill before us.

Last year, the Future Generations Commissioner for Wales, Derek Walker, said Wales was not making enough progress towards delivering on the promises of its legislation. His annual report can help to signpost pitfalls for this country and prevent us from making the same mistakes. Mr. Walker's 2023 report points to the cost-of-living crisis and its impact, particularly on those on low incomes, as having the greatest negative impact on pursuing the goals of the Act. Mr. Walker said:

This flagship report shows a mixed picture of progress across our well-being goals. Some of it is understandable given the exceptional circumstances we have just faced. However, seven years have passed since the Well-being of Future Generations Act was established and I am disappointed that we have not been able to make more progress, and for its impact to be felt consistently by communities across Wales.

That was considered by politicians in Wales to be a fair assessment of where they are at. A confident government and Executive confident in its own work and approach should not fear criticism and informed critiques of that nature. It leads to better policymaking, undoubtedly.

The establishment of a commission for future generations is an aim of Coalition 2030, an alliance of over 70 civil society organisations and trade unions in Ireland.

The Labour Party certainly subscribes to the coalition's aims and, in fact, our raison d'êtrefrom our formation is contained in those aims, ambitions and aspirations.

The coalition believes that establishing a commission that safeguards the interest of future generations will help Ireland to meet at least one of its sustainable development goals, that is, that we meet the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs. Coalition 2030 has stated that the biggest challenges facing our country and our world will not be solved by short-term thinking and has called for what it calls "cathedral thinking" that enables us to plan and initiate large-scale projects, which take a long time to realise, and to think about the future in concrete terms and not as something distant and abstract. We must make the shift from short-term election-cycle thinking to more long-term thinking and planning or the decline of the lot of future generations is guaranteed.

We in the Labour Party supported not just the principle but at every Stage supported the legislation introduced by this Government to establish the future Ireland fund and the climate, infrastructure and nature fund, which will be critical for the sustainable development of this country and for meeting the challenges of which we are too well aware. It is disappointing that no representatives of the largest Opposition party are here for the debate. They repeatedly claim to command the support of cohorts of younger people in this country. I do not think it is right or acceptable that there has been no contribution from the largest Opposition party, with all the resources it has at its disposal in terms of the number of TDs it has. This is not about short-term thinking but long-term thinking, and perhaps that is why. Some people in this Chamber specialise in tactics and not strategy, and specialise in short-term thinking to the neglect of the long term. They avoid the sacrifices and honest thinking that needs to be done if we are serious about the long term.

The Summit of the Future will take place at the UN in September 2024, as the Minister mentioned earlier. It is expected that a UN special envoy for future generations will be created. UN members will be asked to commit to taking future generations into account in their decision-making at national and international levels. Wales has been a pioneer in that regard, and Ireland could be the next early adopter by creating its own commission for future generations, as envisaged in Deputy Ó Cathasaigh's Bill. Coalition 2030 has stated, "We call on the Irish State to be visionary and to think beyond the usual 3 to 5 year political cycle." I and my Labour Party colleagues wholeheartedly echo that call. We urge the Government to establish on a statutory basis the position of future generations commissioner, with a strong mandate to ensure that no actions taken today undermine the sustainable future of generations to come. We would like to see an Oireachtas committee for future generations and the carrying out of generational tests on those decisions most likely to have a long-term impact.

I congratulate Deputy Ó Cathasaigh and wish him every success with the progress of this Bill, which the Labour Party wholeheartedly supports.

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