Jerry Buttimer (Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I thank the Minister of State for being here and for his comprehensive presentation. I would like to make a specific point. I have to give the Minister of State great credit. I have grown to admire him because he has a huge depth of knowledge of his brief, which is refreshing to those of us on the periphery of this debate. Reference has been made to the cyberattack on the HSE and in particular, to the repercussions and knock-on effect it has had on waiting times and on dealing with the backlog of appointments. I know it might not necessarily be the Minister of State's brief but is there a plan on behalf of the HSE to tackle those waiting times?

Deputy O'Rourke made reference to Government funding for cybersecurity, and it was reported on in the Irish Independent last week. There seems to be an issue with funding for and investment in cybersecurity. The Minister of State said there was a sixfold increase in same since the pandemic began. What are our plans to increase capacity in cybersecurity and prevent further attacks?