Micheál Martin (Cork South Central, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

There is a bit more work to be done on engagement with the private sector on the subsea cable issue. Internationally, there is engagement at EU level. The resilience and protection of critical infrastructure has become a higher priority issue for the EU since the pandemic and Russia’s war of aggression on Ukraine. Regarding the new individual tailored programme between NATO and Ireland, that is, the Partnership for Peace, it has been agreed that the Department of Defence will lead cross-government work on managing the new resilience partnership areas. This will complement the Department’s cross-government work on the EU’s critical entities resilience directive on protecting critical infrastructure and utilities. A number of EU initiatives are focused on the protection of critical offshore infrastructure, including a new critical seabed infrastructure protection project within PESCO, which I referenced earlier.

There is collaboration, but the Deputy is correct, in that collaboration with companies needs to be developed more.

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