Neale Richmond (Dublin Rathdown, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

Before I begin, I am very lucky to have known the Minister of State, Deputy Smyth, for quite some time. We were on the county council together and it is very reassuring to see his professional background being used, so I take the opportunity to pay him credit, as I do all the HSE staff for their response in this area because it is often overlooked.

My questions follow on from some of those asked by Deputies O'Donnell and Gannon. Can we get clarity on the robustness of the systems in place across every level of Government, and every Department. This involves the HSE and the Department of Health but we must know there is a threat to every Department. We must remember how critical these systems are. What is the cybersecurity awareness of all staff across Government? Do they know how to maintain resilience and how they can be alert to the threats? Let us be under no illusion; this is not just an act of cybercrime but an act of cyber terrorism. It goes to the very heart of protecting the most vulnerable in our society and should be treated like that. It is not a unique attack. Only today the Waikato health board in New Zealand was the victim of a very similar attack. It is a growing threat. Many Deputies have warned of their concerns. How do we gather intelligence and turn that into resilience?

What engagement have we had with partners at EU and intergovernmental levels? Dealing we these threats, wherever they come from, is not something a country can do alone.

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