Gerard Craughwell (Independent) | Oireachtas source

I welcome Dr. Browne and thank him for his comprehensive statement this morning. The NCSC has been changed from a reporting to an independent office. Does Dr. Browne believe he has the full independence he requires as the director of the National Cyber Security Centre?

I am disappointed that the staff numbers will be hitting approximately 70. I would have hoped it would have a team of a couple of hundred at least. NCSC staff should be operating in every Department and every semi-State organisation, reporting directly to Dr. Browne and not to the Department. We all know that when something goes wrong, the tendency is to close the hatches and keep it in house, rather than allowing it out. I would be interested in his views on that. As Dr. Browne pointed out in his presentation, we are lucky that the major IT companies based in this country have their own inbuilt cybersecurity teams, because if they did not, some of them might be reconsidering their position with respect to staying in the country.

I would be anxious to see Dr. Browne at the top of a pyramid, but I would want to see him with assistant directors looking after, for example, integration with the private sector. Clearly from what he has said today, if we have a major cyberattack, the NCSC can only oversee other organisations working for it to resolve the problems. I would like to see the NCSC with a director with responsibility for the private sector. The NCSC should have very deep relationships with academia. I would like the NCSC to be in a position where it could fund research. I am not sure what funds are available to it to do that.

I believe the Defence Forces had two seats within the NCSC organisation, but they have not been filled for a number of years as far as I am aware. Dr. Browne might let me know what the situation is in that regard.

Dr. Browne may not want to deal with this, but I will ask it anyway. A number of organisations in the country are involved in gathering intelligence, including the Defence Forces, the Garda, the Department of Social Protection and the Department of Justice. Notwithstanding that we have a national security analysis centre, we do not have a director of homeland security. We do not have somebody who is at the top of the intelligence heap. My personal view is that Dr. Browne is the person who should be co-ordinating all intelligence in the country. It should all be coming into the NCSC because cyber is the new war. Defence in the country in concentrated in the three elements of land, sea and air and we are only beginning to wake up to the fourth element which is cyber.

I wish Dr. Browne well in his appointment. This committee fought hard to get that job recognised properly and I commend the Chairman on his work. Does Dr. Browne have enough power? Does he need more?