Duncan Smith (Dublin Fingal East, Labour) | Oireachtas source

I congratulate the Chair on becoming Cathaoirleach of this committee. I look forward to working with you and wish you very well. I was heartened by your opening remarks, particularly relating to the triple lock and the work that this committee can do on that.

I want to put on record something I also put on record at a meeting of the Committee on Standing Orders and Dáil Reform, which is that this committee has been set up with too narrow a definition of national security. Limiting it to the protection of our cables and cybersecurity does not meet any known national or international definition of national security. Terrorism, espionage, economic threats and other threats are outside it. If the Cathaoirleach could work on our behalf as Chair of this committee to ensure that we can have a full breadth of work programme relating to the national security element of that, it would help and aid all our work on this committee and in the wider Oireachtas. It would represent the people of Ireland a lot better than the current definition that is applied to this committee.