Neasa Hourigan (Dublin Central, Green Party)
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546. To ask the Minister for Health his plans to modernise and integrate the IT infrastructure in his Department and the HSE; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [47465/21]

Stephen Donnelly (Wicklow, Fianna Fail)
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Improved IT security measures have been put in place within my Department. A complete security review of the infrastructure was undertaken and specialised software has been installed to mitigate against malicious software, and to provide early warning notifications of same. The system is fully monitored, providing for a rapid response to any notified incidents.

Going forward, my Department will be informed by learnings from the recent criminal ransomware cyberattack, and in conjunction with our security partner, the National Cyber Security Centre and the Office of the Government Chief Information Officer, continue to assess requirements against best practice and industry standards when upgrading ICT infrastructures. In keeping with procedures on any critical incident, post incident review findings and recommendations will inform the process of continuous improvement.

In respect of the HSE, as this is a service matter, I have asked them to respond to the Deputy directly, as soon as possible.