Joe Conway (Independent)
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The pages of history are replete with chronicles of nations and tribes who have, by fair means or foul, aggregated spheres of influence to themselves and bestrode the world like colossi, only to see it all fritter away like quicksilver years later.In this regard, we can look at the empires of the Assyrians, the Romans, the Mongols, the Ottomans and, of course, in terms of influence in our area over the last century, the British Empire. The waning of these behemoths of invasion and subjugation followed the usual and similar patterns of inspiring leadership driving expansionist campaigns, invasion spoils leading to further conquest, enrichment and ensuing corruption at home, followed by domestic division and eventual fragmentation.

Our own Continent of Europe has expanded empire-like in the eight decades since the Second World War, not in any land-grabbing way but in economic dominance. With the piecemeal breakdown of European integrity over the last 20 years or so, the conclusion is that the modern support and consent we have had in this Europe of ours are falling victim to a sort of sybaritic European negligence of the basic tenets of freedom and cohesion. This brings its own challenges. In this regard, Ireland has challenges thar an ghnáth.

It is a fact that the great majority - 75% - of this country's subsea communications go through the seas off our coasts. The cables carry commerce and investment every day to the tune of approximately €10 trillion. Since 75% of those cables are in or near our waters, we clearly have a duty to co-operate with others to police them and prevent them from being sabotaged and attacked. Such cables are vulnerable to crude physical rupture and disablement, even by weapons as seemingly innocuous as a dragged anchor engendering an outcome that would cause severe disruption and immeasurable damage. This is but one area where we are vulnerable beyond common comprehension. It is replicated on land, in the air, in space and in drone and laser technology. Of course, we see it played out every week in cybersecurity too. We spend 0.25% of GDP on defence. Compared to other small European countries, this is risibly small. Estonia, Latvia, Finland, Lithuania and Poland spend far more on defence. Even Finland, which has the lowest defence spending of those countries, spends ten times more per capita than we do.

While we have difficulty looking at the aggression now manifest in Europe, in the Baltic and Scandinavia, the dangers we experience here are just as great. Despite all that, we put to sea one serviceable vessel to cover the exclusive economic area off our coast of almost 500,000 sq. km. The quality of life and prosperity we have here cannot be guaranteed or guarded by that sort of investment. I would like to think we will get an explanation from the Minister of State of the Government's proposals to police not only our subsea cables, but all our vital interests. We have freedom and a way of life that it are worthwhile defending. Millions of Irishmen and Irishwomen have given their lives over the centuries for this and we should not be the generation to fritter it away. I look forward to what the Minister of State has to say about the plans.

Malcolm Noonan (Green Party)
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I ask the Minister of State to be brief. We are trying to get one more Commencement matter in before the Order of Business.

Thomas Byrne (Meath East, Fianna Fail)
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Is there a time set?

Malcolm Noonan (Green Party)
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Yes, there is.

Thomas Byrne (Meath East, Fianna Fail)
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I thank Senator Conway for raising this issue. The Minister, Deputy Harris, cannot be here but I am very happy to be here. I am also very happy to hear a good explanation of the need for defence policy because many of the Senator's colleagues on the Opposition benches often openly question the need to spend anything more on defence than we are spending now. The Senator has set out correctly why we have a defence policy. It is to protect the island and everything about it and connected to it.

The Government is taking measures to safeguard subsea communication cables in Irish waters. Obviously, we cannot comment on specific security actions, but the following examples highlight the Government's commitment to enhancing the protection of undersea cables through our broader security initiatives.

Our approach to the protection of critical subsea infrastructure is multifaceted and includes enhanced monitoring, robust regulatory frameworks and strengthening co-operation with stakeholders. The security of Ireland's subsea infrastructure is a matter of most importance, with maritime security representing a priority action area for this Government. The Government has underscored the importance of maritime security through the commitment of the Department of Defence to lead in the co-ordination and development of Ireland's first national maritime security strategy.It is being prepared in co-operation with national and international stakeholders and the private sector. It will take account of recent geopolitical developments, which have demonstrated the importance of the protection of critical undersea infrastructure. Protecting such infrastructure requires collaboration within the State and, as the Senator mentioned, between states to develop a full understanding of what is occurring in the sea.

The Tánaiste has recently approved Defence Forces participation in the common information sharing environment, CISE. There was a bit of criticism of this as well. It is an EU initiative that enables structured and secure information sharing among EU maritime authorities, both civil and military, allowing for more effective operations at sea. CISE will play a crucial role in increasing awareness of maritime activities and improving responses to growing threats at sea, including physical and cyberattacks on our critical undersea infrastructure.

Ireland is observing on the PESCO project on critical seabed infrastructure protection, which aims to increase the EU's operational efficiency in the protection of critical maritime infrastructure. Participation in the project will help in Ireland's mitigation of the risks posed to subsea architecture. This PESCO project will examine the strengthening of capabilities with regard to protecting critical undersea infrastructure, thereby increasing its security and resilience. Government and Dáil approval has been granted for Ireland to join the project. The process of requesting participant status has started.

The Minister for Defence chairs the Government task force on emergency planning. A subgroup of this task force produced the first guideline document on critical infrastructure resilience in February 2019 and it was updated in July 2021. While the primary responsibility for safeguarding critical infrastructure rests with the owner or operator, the guideline document provides the methodology for operators of essential services to follow to enhance resilience. It also outlines that it is the responsibility of each Department to foster links and work closely with semi-State and private sector operators of our critical infrastructure to enhance protection of that infrastructure from a wide variety of threats.

Last year, the Department of Environment, Climate and Communications ran a consultation on international connectivity for telecommunications. The purpose of this was to gain a better understanding of the subsea market as a whole, as well as to gain more insight into individual cable systems at firm level to ensure Ireland is served by a suitably diverse, resilient and reliable cable system. The consultation received strong feedback from subsea cable owners, operators and developers.

In light of threats to EU critical infrastructure arising from geopolitical developments and subsequent attacks on pipelines in other jurisdictions, the Department engaged directly with the owners of subsea telecoms cables to obtain up-to-date mapping information so that relevant State entities have this on hand. The Department of Defence continues to work with the Department of the environment on this and the results of the tests have been shared with the Commission as part of a cross-EU process.

Crucially, patrolling of the Irish Sea in the vicinity of priority offshore infrastructure continues to take place by a mixture of air and naval platforms and the naval operations command centre in Haulbowline remotely monitors vessels in the Irish exclusive economic zone on a 24-7 basis.

Joe Conway (Independent)
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I am very encouraged to hear the kindred thinking from the Minister of State. We can talk about co-operation with private and semi-State bodies and all that sort of thing, but the critical thing at this stage is to encourage the Government to initiate a reasoned and comprehensive national discourse on the issues we spoke about - and that means neutrality - and to bring the matter of co-operation on defence to a decision not just of the Government, but of the people. If the majority so accord, we should set about preparing a tangible defence of our land, our way of life and our values in co-operation with our European neighbours, brothers and sisters. We could not dissipate the chance to co-operate and the time really is now because the behaviour of Putin regarding Ukraine and all the shenanigans he has been engaged in since show how parlous our security is, unless we co-operate with our European neighbours - and, indeed, NATO, if it comes to that. That is where we should be going.

Thomas Byrne (Meath East, Fianna Fail)
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The co-operation will continue. We are a militarily neutral country. We are not joining NATO but we talk to it and we want our military to be able to operate to NATO standards and to have equipment worthy of a modern army. Tá sé an-tábhachtach go ndéanfaimid é sin agus go bhfuilimid ar an eolas go bhfuil bagairtí amuigh ansin ag teacht ó thíortha ar nós na Rúise agus áiteanna eile. Tá na bagairtí seo ag tarlú gach uile lá ar fud na Mór-Roinne agus ar fud na farraige in aice leis an Mór-Roinn. What the Senator said about co-operation is important. I note that the EU-UK co-operation and common understanding agreement, which was concluded yesterday, contains reference to co-operation on maritime security, including cables and other aspects of maritime policy, which is positive. It is not a question of not being neutral or joining military organisations. It is simply a question of working together to protect our independence. That is what we must do. The purpose of our military is to defend and secure this country and its citizens.

Malcolm Noonan (Green Party)
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The next matter is in the name of Senator Tully. I apologise, but time is going to be limited.

Pauline Tully (Sinn Fein)
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Is the Minister of State, Deputy McConalogue, going to take this matter?

Malcolm Noonan (Green Party)
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We are waiting for the Minister of State.