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

What we are discussing here is not failure to adhere to a notice. We are discussing designation as a high-risk vendor and how that process works. That is not a criminal accusation. It is not something that an individual will face. It is a matter of a body corporate being designated by the State as a high-risk vendor. The State will say it is uncomfortable with such a vendor's equipment being used in its critical infrastructure networks. The information provided will not always be suitable for publication. It will be subject to judicial oversight and the judges will decide whether there is a national security implication whereby the information would not be published and would be kept within the oversight of the judges. That is the situation. The Deputy has opened an appalling vista where people are, in a Kafkaesque way, dragged before judges and not shown the evidence against them. We are talking about the designation of a supplier of high-tech equipment. That supplier will be a corporate body located outside the EU that is considered a high-risk vendor. It is as much as that. Naturally, one must comply with an order of a court and not to do so may be a criminal offence.