During the first year of implementation of its national Action Plan, Ireland completed 6 of the 30 actions listed in the plan, OGP’s Independent Reporting Mechanism (IRM) revealed in a progress report.
This report analysed the first year of implementation from 1 July 2014 to 30 June 2015. Ireland joined OGP in 2013.
The Irish Action Plan listed 20 commitments and 10 sub-commitments. Dr. Raj Chari, a political academic working at Trinity College, created the report.
Citizen participation and establishing an open data portal were among the actions that were completed, the report reveals. Other actions that were listed as completed included:
- Systematic pre-legislative scrutiny of draft bills;
- Strategy on children and young people’s participation in decision-making;
- Pilot implementation of Public Participation Networks;
- Lobbying regulation;
- and Whistle-blower protection.
“Ireland’s first Action Plan contained ambitious commitments on citizen participation, ethics in public office, lobbying regulation, and whistle-blower protection. The government complied with OGP requirements for consultation during Action Plan development. Going forward, formalising permanent dialogue forums and more awareness-raising will strengthen participation”, IRM stated in its report.
Ireland needs to share OGP’s ideas in the country
“While much progress has been made in implementing the commitments, some areas need strengthening and reinforcing,” the report mentions. Five recommendations were made in the report:
- Spread the word that Ireland is part of the OGP to help citizens be more involved;
- Set up an OGP team to create a point of contact for the different public bodies, stakeholders, and citizens alike;
- Establish an Implementation Review Group in three steps;
- Reduce but don’t recycle in the next Action Plan; and
- Find a balance between participatory democracy and technocratic efficiency.