Eamon Ryan (Dublin Bay South, Green Party) | Oireachtas source

The National Cyber Security Centre, NCSC, which is located in my Department, has a broad remit across the cybersecurity of Government, ICT infrastructure and critical national infrastructure. In the immediate aftermath of the ransomware attack on the HSE, the NCSC led the national response process and took measures to protect other critical infrastructure operators. This included rapidly disseminating indicators of compromise and relevant guidance to ensure the cybercriminals behind the cyberattack could not threaten other vital services. The NCSC has worked with the HSE to learn lessons from that incident and these have been incorporated into the centre's ongoing engagement with operators of essential services in the health and other sectors. The NCSC continues to support the HSE as the latter enhances the security and resilience of its network and services.

The NCSC has a particular focus on supporting Government networks and public bodies. In collaboration with a cross-departmental group drawn from across the public service, it recently published the baseline cybersecurity standard to be applied by all Departments and Government agencies. In addition, the computer security incident response team, CSIRT, based within the NCSC, has developed and deployed technology on the infrastructure of Departments to detect and warn of certain type of threats.

The Government has committed to the further development of the NCSC, including through the provision of a new permanent facility at my Department's redeveloped headquarters in Beggar's Bush, funding to support a five-year technology strategy, and the drafting of primary legislation to provide a clear mandate and authority for the NCSC. This is in addition to the expansion in staffing at the centre, which will see staff numbers increase by 20 before the end of this year and to more than 70 in the next five years. There have been three dedicated recruitment competitions launched in recent months by the NCSC, with another opening later this week. The Government will provide all necessary support to the centre to ensure it can fulfil its important role in the years to come.

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