Leo Varadkar (Dublin West, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

Tógfaidh mé Ceisteanna Uimh. 13 go 17, go huile, le chéile.

The national security committee is chaired by the Secretary General of the Government and comprises representatives at the highest level from the Departments of Foreign Affairs, Justice, Defence, Environment, Climate and Communications, including the National Cyber Security Centre, NCSC, An Garda Síochána and the Defence Forces.

The committee is concerned with ensuring that the Government and myself are advised of high-level security issues and the responses to them. It is not concerned with the detail of operational matters.

As Taoiseach, I am briefed periodically by the Garda Commissioner and by relevant officials on the national and international security situation and on any individual security-related incidents that may arise. I am also briefed periodically by the Minister for Justice on these matters. Relevant Ministers can also brief the Government on security issues within their remit as and when the need arises. Deputies will appreciate that the work of the national security committee is of a very confidential nature and it is long-standing policy not to discuss it in detail, particularly not in a public forum. I believe the reasons for this are self-evident. What I can say is that the committee meets regularly and also meets as may be required by specific events or high-level security concerns when they arise.

The committee's focus is on the main threats to the State's security, including the continuing threat from dissident paramilitaries and religious fundamentalists. We have seen in the past week, with the cowardly attack on a PSNI officer John Caldwell in Omagh by the IRA, the continuing lethal threat that these small groups still present. Given the overall nature of the overall security landscape, the committee has maintained a particular focus on international security and cyber issues.

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