Malcolm Byrne (Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

I am glad Senator McDowell and others called for a debate on technology and cybersecurity. This is an issue I have raised a number of times in the House. Until we start to treat data like gold, we will not realise the scale of how important this is. Some 30% of the European Union’s data is stored in Ireland. That is how serious an issue this is. We must begin to take this issue more seriously.

The issue I wish to raise is that of the revelations concerning the charity Bóthar and, in particular, that those at the top of the organisation siphoned off €1.1 million, including in suitcases of cash, over a long period. I was one of those who donated to Bóthar down the years. The Leader will appreciate that those in rural communities in particular have a strong affinity for what Bóthar was trying to achieve. Children in schools organised fundraisers to help out this very innovative charity.