Cathal Berry (Kildare South, Independent) | Oireachtas source

I agree on the point about the products. I welcome Dr. Browne and Ms Woods and thank them for the NCSC's opening statement. From the opening statements, it seems that the witnesses have transformed things over the last 12 months. The big takeaway for me - and I think most people on the committee - is that if we actually resourced our State agencies properly, there would be a profound effect on output. Most areas of the public sector are struggling with recruitment and retention at the moment. In the past 12 months, the NCSC has doubled its headcount and with plans for further expansion. How was this achieved? I have a fairly good idea but it would be great to get it on the record because other public sector organisations could learn from it.

In relation to the permanent premises in Beggar's Bush, is that leased or is that going to be purchased and State owned? If the security operations centre, SOC, is to be established when is it hoped to be fully operational? How has the budget of the organisation changed in the past 12 months and what is the current budget for the year? The opening statement mentioned that the NCSC gave some assistance to Ukraine. What was the level of that support? Ireland recently joined the European Centre of Excellence for Countering Hybrid Threats, Hybrid CoE, in Helsinki, and obviously the cyber centre of excellence in Estonia as well. Was that positive or negative from the perspective of the NCSC? What kind of an impact did that have?

Echoing what Deputy Carthy said, it is my understanding that the NCSC is a multidisciplinary outfit and that there are military and Garda seats at the table there. Are those seats manned? Do the Garda and the Defence Forces have the capacity to contribute to the multidisciplinary nature of the organisation?

In summary, while all present can speak for themselves, the NCSC has the full support of the committee. We have been tracking its progress over the last three years. I hear Dr. Browne on the dangers of AI. I very much look forward to the mid-term review of the national cybersecurity strategy. We can certainly contribute to that, where appropriate.