Ossian Smyth (Dún Laoghaire, Green Party) | Oireachtas source

I thank the Senator for his question. As I understand it, a voluntary hospital is an independent body, separate from the HSE, although greatly funded by the HSE.

The Mercy University Hospital Cork had some systems that were tightly integrated with the HSE systems and that the attack spread into their systems,as a result. I do not think they were specifically targeted. There was no indication that the ransom note was any different from that left on all the other HSE systems. The reason that they took a separate legal case is they are a separate legal entity from the HSE. Legally, they were advised that they had to get their own injunction to protect their own data. There is no suggestion that they are in any way more at risk than any other parts of the HSE. There is certainly no information yet that any of their data have been leaked or are at risk.

As I understand it, the process that the HSE is going through at the moment started with restoring their central services in their core network, their radiology system and their patient administration, and it then went out to all the different regional hospitals to make sure that they all came back online. As the service was restored and the hospital was restored, the two things work together. They are making great progress in that regard. I do not know if Mercy University Hospital Cork, is entirely back online. What I do know is that the HSE is publishing regular reports on its website, where people can go to their own county, look at a particular hospital and find out which of its services are back. There is, therefore, an indication of that.