Ivana Bacik (Dublin Bay South, Labour) | Oireachtas source

First, I express my solidarity with the people of Sudan who have been affected by this terrible conflict that is ongoing there. Could the Taoiseach assure that Irish citizens who are trapped there, from whom we have heard some very distressing experiences, have been safely evacuated? I know a ceasefire has come into effect, so I hope it will hold and that there will be a lasting peace there.

I wrote to the Taoiseach and spoke with him previously about national security briefings for Opposition leaders. I renew my call on him to commit to holding such briefings. Once again, we have seen Russian ships operating in Irish waters. We have heard new reports last week of the laptop of the Minister for Health apparently being compromised and cyberterrorism remains a huge risk. Just on Friday, we saw the Government announce that official devices should not have TikTok on them because of concerns around cybersecurity. With the extraordinary Hutch case and the latest revelations about the Garda Síochána Ombudsman Commission, GSOC, there are now valid concerns about links between policing and organised crime. Given that national security is a concern for all of us, could he commit to providing briefings to Opposition leaders?

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