David Stanton (Cork East, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I thank the witnesses for their responses, which are very interesting. Grant Thornton maintains that in 2022 the cost of cybercrime in Ireland was €10 billion, which is an enormous. Some of these state-sponsored actors have their own helpdesk and if they get into trouble, they can actually get help - there is that level of professionalism and sophistication.

The witnesses mentioned that through mobile phones we are all interconnected and the fact that all of our mobile phone networks are controlled from outside the State in many ways. We know some high-profile individuals, Ministers included, have been hacked here, and another Minister came forward in the past week or two to say that he had been hacked. I have been told there are high-profile individuals in Dublin whose phones are being targeted all of the time. The witnesses might comment on that and also on the €10 billion cost outlined by Grant Thornton. I know it is slightly removed from what we are talking about but it is in the same space, if you will pardon the pun.