Holly Cairns (Cork South West, Social Democrats)
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219. To ask the Minister for Communications, Climate Action and Environment if he will consider establishing the National Cyber Security Centre on a statutory basis. [38041/21]

Ossian Smyth (Dún Laoghaire, Green Party)
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The National Cyber Security Centre (NCSC) was established by Government Decision in July 2011 with a broad remit across the cyber security of Government ICT and critical national infrastructure. The Computer Security Incident Response Team (CSIRT) is the the key cyber security response entity within the NCSC. The CSIRT acts as a central contact point in the event of a government or nation-wide cyber security incident affecting the State, including the provision of advisory notices to its core group of government departments, state agencies, and organisations responsible for critical national infrastructure. The role and functions of the CSIRT are set out in the European Union (Measures for a High Common Level of Security of Network and Information Systems) Regulations 2018, S.I. No. 360 of 2018.  

The question of establishing the NCSC on a statutory basis is being considered in the context of the Capacity Review of the NCSC that has recently been completed. The Capacity Review was an action committed to in the Programme for Government and under the National Cyber Security Strategy to inform the future development of the NCSC and indicate the extent of any additional resources or other measures required to deliver its mandate, the objectives of the 2019 Strategy and other emerging obligations arising at EU level.

Holly Cairns (Cork South West, Social Democrats)
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220. To ask the Minister for Communications, Climate Action and Environment the amount and breakdown of funding provided to the National Cyber Security Centre annually since 2015. [38042/21]

Ossian Smyth (Dún Laoghaire, Green Party)
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The Government has trebled the capital and programme funding for the NCSC from €1.7 million in 2020 to €5.1 million in 2021. The funding and resourcing of the NCSC has increased substantially over the past five years. The budget allocation for was €250,000 in 2015, €750,000 in 2016, €1,950,000 in 2017, €2,000,000 in 2018, €1,700,000 in 2019, €1,700,000 in 2020 and €5,100,000 in 2021. This funding is in addition to the annual allocation for salaries which has also been increased.