Oireachtas Joint and Select Committees
Tuesday, 2 July 2024
Select Committee on Foreign Affairs and Trade, and Defence
Proposed Approval by Dáil Éireann of Ireland's Participation in Two PESCO Projects and Two European Defence Agency Projects and the Report Regarding Service by the Defence Forces with the UN in 2023: Motion
3:15 pm
Micheál Martin (Cork South Central, Fianna Fail)
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Numbers have increased from a very low base. There has been an effective build-up. I recall meeting with representatives of the centre at the time of the HSE attack when it was at a relatively embryonic stage of its formation. There has been a dramatic scaling up of that centre. It is an important centre and it is well led, if I may say so. The key for us is that, just as we want to co-operate on a European and global level, we need an integrated and multiagency response in Ireland to cyber issues. The National Cyber Security Centre takes the lead but there is also input from the Defence Forces, the Garda and other Departments. That is key. We must build a community of cybersecurity intelligence in the country. The private sector in Ireland is strong in the field, which is important. The overall human capital in the country is such that if an emergency or something terrible happens, we have a critical mass of people, led by the agency, to drive our response. We will get the relevant figures for the Deputy.