Naoise Ó Cearúil (Kildare North, Fianna Fail)
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13. To ask the Taoiseach and Minister for Defence the role his Department will play in the preparation of a revised national security strategy; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [30994/25]

Naoise Ó Cearúil (Kildare North, Fianna Fail)
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As the Tánaiste knows, the programme for Government committed to the development of a revised national security strategy, one that reflects the changing threats and geopolitical realities Ireland now faces. Progress has been made with the establishment of the national security council and secretariat, but five years on from the original commitment the full strategy remains outstanding. Can the Tánaiste outline the role his Department is playing in finalising this crucial work and when we can expect to see the draft strategy published?

Simon Harris (Wicklow, Fine Gael)
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I thank Deputy Ó Cearúil for the question. As he rightly says, our programme for Government, Securing Ireland's Future, sets out a number of commitments relating to national security. It is probably the most robust programme for Government in terms of national security and the focus, quite rightly, on security and security defence infrastructure. It acknowledges that this is a time of geopolitical upheaval and challenges to democracy internationally, with threats and challenges arising from the rapidly changing geopolitical landscape across the world.

In this context, our Government will bring forward a number of measures relating to justice, defence, cybersecurity and central co-ordination, a review of our existing structures and a national security strategy. All are pieces of a puzzle with a view to enhancing further our national security.

The Taoiseach recently established the ministerial national security council, to which the Deputy alluded. As Tánaiste and Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade and Defence, I and the Minister for Justice, Home Affairs and Migration are also members of that council. Both the Department of Defence and the Defence Forces have current roles and responsibilities relating to national security, including the fact that the Secretary General of the Department of Defence and the Chief of Staff are members of the National Security Committee and will attend meetings of the newly established ministerial security council. The ministerial council will ensure that at the highest level there is a structured, ongoing review of our strategic national security interests and systematised monitoring of progress with delivery on the Government's commitments in this area, including the delivery of our new national security strategy.

Our national security strategy will reflect the changing geopolitical landscape, notably the altered security situation in Europe, and will ensure a whole-of-government approach to defence and deterrence. The preparation of that strategy is being co-ordinated by the national security secretariat in the Department of the Taoiseach, with inputs provided by a range of relevant stakeholders, including both my Departments; the Department of justice; the Department of Climate, Energy and the Environment; our Defence Forces; the Garda; and the National Cyber Security Centre.

The preparation of a draft strategy covers a broad range of national security issues and it will include the implications of more recent security, defence and international developments and their related impacts, including the implementation of the Report of the Commission on the Defence Forces. The timeline is a matter for the Department of the Taoiseach, but I expect it to be later this year.

Naoise Ó Cearúil (Kildare North, Fianna Fail)
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As the Tánaiste is aware, the nature of national security has fundamentally changed.

We are no longer talking solely about traditional military threats but, rather, hybrid threats, cyberattacks, disinformation campaigns, energy security, technological vulnerability and foreign interference. The world has moved at pace, from the war in Ukraine and the instability in the Middle East and particularly in Gaza, right through to malign actors targeting critical infrastructure across Europe. Ireland still remains exposed. Our neutrality must not be mistaken for complacency. A small, open economy such as ours is deeply vulnerable to economic, technological and political shocks. However, we have strong foundations and it is important to get that across. We are not lame ducks. We have An Garda Síochána, the Defence Forces and an emerging intelligence capacity. These need to be fully integrated under the national security strategy, as the Tánaiste mentioned. We should not be simply reactive, but genuinely anticipatory and robust in our preparations.

Simon Harris (Wicklow, Fine Gael)
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I agree with everything the Deputy has said. We face multiple and varied threats. This is not just Ireland but all other European countries as well. I was cheering inside when the Deputy said that neutrality cannot be used as an excuse for complacency. We all value military neutrality but sometimes when defence and security are mentioned in here, questions are raised about military neutrality. In fact, being militarily non-aligned and neutral, if anything, places a greater obligation on us to take our own defence and security seriously, because we are not in a military alliance that would allow us to rely on others to do so. That is why we have to step up spending on defence and security and also on justice and the infrastructure required by An Garda Síochána. As someone who has been in government for quite a long time now, I am really encouraged by the level of co-ordination we are seeing, the structures that are being put in place and the breaking down of silos, real and perceived. Today we are moving ahead with the national maritime security strategy, which is another piece. This recognises that Ireland is a small country geographically speaking in terms of land mass, but it has a vast ocean and has undersea cables and the like that need to be protected. Yes, we have a lot of work to do on this but we have strong foundations and we need to build on them in the time ahead. We will do so with the ministerial council on national security and our new national security strategy.

Naoise Ó Cearúil (Kildare North, Fianna Fail)
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The Tánaiste has outlined the issues quite succinctly and well. One thing to bear in mind as well is whether the strategy will incorporate external expertise to ensure that it reflects best international practice. That is not necessarily expertise from the private sector. We would be looking to our partners in Europe specifically, and then obviously to our Canadian and American partners, when it comes to the protection of deep-sea cables. Crucially, it will need to provide a clear national security doctrine that allows the State to protect itself across all domains, not just in traditional defence. The Tánaiste has outlined that it will do so. It will not be single-faceted; it will be a multifaceted approach and it will be quite detailed. The illusion of security is not enough. As the Tánaiste mentioned, quite rightly, just because we are a neutral country does not mean we should not be able to defend ourselves. Resilience must be real, structured and forward-looking.

Simon Harris (Wicklow, Fine Gael)
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The Deputy is absolutely right. I can assure him that it will be all of those things and it will be multifaceted. Certain Departments have primacy in terms of their direct responsibility for the security of the State and the country. My Department and the Department of justice are obvious ones in that regard. However, all Departments and all agencies have a role to play. That is why I think it is so appropriate that this work is co-ordinated by the Department of the Taoiseach, the ministerial council on national security is chaired by the Taoiseach and the national security secretariat resides within the Department of the Taoiseach. That convening role and ability to pull everybody together on this is both welcome and necessary. I will seek a note for the Deputy on this. I assure him that seeking external expertise, particularly international experiences and how we can learn from other jurisdictions, is very much under way. I see this very clearly in my own Department with the issue of maritime security. We are looking at what other coastal nations have done and making sure we can learn from best practice.