Niall Collins (Limerick County, Fianna Fail)
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159. To ask the Minister for Communications, Climate Action and Environment if he has been contacted by the Administration of the United States of America with regard to the use of technology by a company (details supplied); and if he will make a statement on the matter. [14680/19]

Richard Bruton (Dublin Bay North, Fine Gael)
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As Minister for Communications, I meet with my international colleagues on a variety of issues and in a variety of fora, as appropriate. In that context, I met with US Chargé d‘Affaires on 25 January 2019 for a wide-ranging discussion, during which the US views on the company in question were briefly raised.

At a domestic level, it should be noted that there are statutory provisions to ensure that operators of networks and services in Ireland take appropriate measures to manage risks to the security of their networks and services, and to guarantee their integrity. These requirements are set out in the European Communities (Electronic Communications Networks and Services) (Framework) Regulations 2011 (S.I. No. 333 of 2011). The Commission for Communications Regulation (ComReg) is responsible for ensuring compliance with these provisions, and ComReg is statutorily independent in the exercise of its functions (as provided for in Section 11 of the Communications Regulations Act 2002).

At an international level, the European Commission published a Recommendation on a common EU approach to the security of 5G networks on 26 March 2019, which is presently being evaluated. My officials will engage with relevant stakeholders, fellow Member States and the EU institutions in discussing that recommendation, and in progressing any related actions. EU initiatives which impact across various sectors and areas of ministerial responsibility at national level will be assessed across Government, as appropriate.