Naoise Ó Muirí (Dublin Bay North, Fine Gael)
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8. To ask the Taoiseach and Minister for Defence to provide an update on the development of a national strategy for the resilience of critical entities; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [48912/25]

Naoise Ó Muirí (Dublin Bay North, Fine Gael)
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My question concerns an issue with which the Tánaiste will be familiar with, that is, the urgent need to build resilience in our national systems in line with EU regulations. I am asking for an update on the development of a national strategy for the resilience of critical entities.

Simon Harris (Wicklow, Fine Gael)
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I thank the Deputy for raising this issue. The critical entities resilience, CER, directive is part of the European Union-wide effort to increase the resilience of essential services that provide vital societal functions in all member states of the European Union. My Department has transposed this directive by way of the resilience of critical entities regulations 2024. I am pleased that Ireland was among the first member states to transpose directive on time.

The regulations apply to 11 essential services in different sectors of the economy, ranging from the energy and transport sectors through to large-scale food production, processing and distribution. Essentially the purpose of the regulations is to create a framework to ensure that critical entities are able to prevent, resist, absorb and recover from disruptive incidents, whether they are caused by natural hazards, accidents, terrorism, insider threats or public health emergencies.

My Department conducted an extensive engagement programme with relevant policy Departments, bilaterally and through the Government task force on emergency planning since 2021. This was done for negotiations on the directive and also the subsequent transposition of the directive into Irish law. Since the transposition last year, engagement has continued in order to develop our resilience of critical entities strategy. This is a key element of the new regulatory framework. The strategy will lay out the framework for the identification of critical entities in the essential service sectors in the State, and the specific obligations and resilience-enhancement measures required from each of the critical entities. The strategy will also outline a mechanism for information-sharing and developing a collaborative public and private approach to the resilience of the essential services.

My Department is currently in consultation with all competent authorities and relevant Departments and agencies for each sector to develop a strategy for the resilience of critical entities, which is to be published in 2026 in line with requirements of the directive. Step 1 was to negotiate the directive and step 2 was to transpose it. We were one of the first countries in Europe to do that. Under step 3, under the transposition, you need to produce a strategy, by 2026. I am pleased to say we are on track to do that.

Naoise Ó Muirí (Dublin Bay North, Fine Gael)
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It is good to hear that Ireland is leading out when it comes to the transposition of the regulations. Disruptive incidents, whether caused by national hazards or malicious actors, have the potential to inflict immense damage on Ireland. We saw what happened with Storm Éowyn and the damage it did to communities across Ireland, but we also saw the real value of EU solidarity. The EU civil protection mechanism kicked in, with 13 power generators from the Commission’s reserve and four generators from Denmark, to help to provide electricity on the ground. Then Copernicus was activated, supplying analytical support to our national authorities. Of course, there was also good co-operation between the energy companies internationally, providing boots on the ground in the form of crews. This sort of co-operation is a core strength of the European Union. Sharing information, conducting joint risk assessments and participating in advisory missions will be central to safeguarding critical infrastructure in Europe.

The Tánaiste might just comment in a little more detail on steps 2 and 3 in terms of the transposition.

Simon Harris (Wicklow, Fine Gael)
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I thank Deputy Ó Muirí. I agree with everything he said. To state the obvious, it is true that we are all living in a world that is becoming so much more interdependent. That is why it is right that Europe lead on this in demanding that all member states put in place plans but also learn from each other in relation to this.

To expand a little more, the strategy will set out our national approach, our strategic objectives and the priorities for the improvement of our resilience across each of the critical entities. I am very proud of how our country endeavours to respond when something goes wrong, but I am also very conscious that we need to do better and, each time, build up a greater level of resilience, preparedness, planning and co-ordination regarding future events. The strategy will outline where the strategic objectives are, but it will also outline very clearly, in respect of each sector that is a critical entity, what the priority projects for improvements are. The strategy will be issued under the auspices of the Government task force on emergency planning, which I chair, and will meet the requirements of the regulation.

This strategy will build on our established national risk-assessment methodology to meet the requirements of the regulation, including identifying our essential services and establishing a governance framework. I am out of time but I can send the Deputy more information.

Naoise Ó Muirí (Dublin Bay North, Fine Gael)
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I thank the Tánaiste. The programme for Government was mentioned earlier. It rightly highlights the need to strengthen national security to protect Irish citizens, maintain public order and ensure the safety of communities in Ireland. We all hear about and are aware of reports of foreign actors probing underseas communications, energy infrastructure and other installations. While we hope our preparations are never tested, we cannot afford to be caught on the back foot when it comes to the national security of critical facilities and infrastructure like that in question. This is why the State-led strategic gas reserve, for example, is so important. That must also be dealt with on a secure basis and put on a secure footing. Ireland cannot allow itself to be in a position where large parts of the country are left without energy for weeks on end because of either an incident or, more worrying, malicious acts of other entities. Failing to deliver the floating storage unit is a risk that is neither acceptable nor appropriate for the Government to take. We must follow through on commitments outlined in the programme for Government, building the capacity to respond swiftly and effectively to emerging threats to our daily lives in co-operation with our European partners. It is an essential investment in the future safety and security of generations.

Simon Harris (Wicklow, Fine Gael)
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I agree with that 100%. I fully support swift progress on the programme for Government commitments on this. For far too long, politics here has been prisoner to ideology rather than the obligations we have as a Government and Oireachtas to make sure key services, including the provision of energy, an absolutely vital component, can continue in a whole variety of situations. I assure the House that while we obviously do not discuss these matters in detail, a lot of work goes on in the background on responding to various threats and challenges that our country, or indeed any country, could encounter in relation to contingency planning. One of the decisions this new Government took was the establishment of a national security council, which co-ordinates at a senior level of government – with me, the Taoiseach and one or two other Ministers in key positions, along with the Chief of Staff, the Garda Commissioner and others – on the various issues in relation to our national security.

This will be an important step. We have been publishing our national risk assessment for quite a number of years. This takes it to the next level, outlining the specific actions each of our critical entity sectors will take.