Patrick Costello (Dublin South Central, Green Party)
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6.To ask the Taoiseach for an update on the development of Ireland’s national security strategy; and to provide a timeline for its publication.[35306/24]

Patrick Costello (Dublin South Central, Green Party)
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7.To ask the Taoiseach for an update in relation to the work of the National Security Analysis Centre.[35311/24]

Patrick Costello (Dublin South Central, Green Party)
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8.To ask the Taoiseach the number of full- and part-time staff, broken down by rank, assigned to the National Security Analysis Centre, in tabular form; the number of positions currently vacant; and his views on whether the centre’s current capacity is sufficient.[35312/24]

Simon Harris (Wicklow, Fine Gael)
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I propose to take Questions Nos. 6 to 8, inclusive, together.

The primary purpose of the National Security Analysis Centre is to provide strategic analysis for the Government on threats to national security and to support co-ordination between the various State bodies with national security and related functions.

The Centre provides a secretariat and support for the National Security Committee and its related groups. The National Security Committee is chaired by the Secretary General to the Government and comprises representatives at the highest level from the Departments of Foreign Affairs, Justice, Defence, Environment, Climate and Communications (including the National Cyber Security Centre), and from An Garda Síochána and the Defence Forces. The Committee is concerned with ensuring that the Government and I are advised of high-level security issues and the responses to them. It is not concerned with the detail of operational matters.

The Centre supports the National Security Committee’s work by preparing its meetings and coordinating and developing policy approaches on cross-cutting security issues, including through facilitating inter-departmental and agency engagement.

In conjunction, notably with the Department of Foreign Affairs, the Centre also maintains contacts and interaction with international counterparts and organisations on security-related matters. It participates in the Government Task Force on Emergency Planning and is active in supporting the Department of Defence in its implementation of recommendations from the Report on the Commission on the Defence Forces.

The Centre works closely with the Department of Justice including in supporting its work in modernising the State’s security legislation and the security arrangements for office holders. Equally, the Centre works closely with the National Cyber Security Centre in respect of relevant legislative developments and supporting the security of Government communications.

The Centre is also co-ordinating work on drawing up a national security strategy, integrating inputs from a range of relevant stakeholders. The preparation of a draft strategy covers a broad range of national security issues and it will include the implications of more recent security, defence and international developments and their related impacts. I anticipate receiving the strategy by year-end.

There are currently 12 persons assigned to work with the Centre. The Director is at Assistant Secretary level in my Department and the Deputy Director is a senior Counsellor seconded from the Department of Foreign Affairs. There are a further nine personnel at Assistant Principal or equivalents assigned from my Department, other Government Departments, An Garda Síochána, the Defence Forces and the National Cyber Security Centre. Additional administrative support is provided by an Executive Officer in my Department. As the resources assigned to the Centre are supplemented directly on an ongoing basis from Government Departments and Agencies relevant to issues that may arise, I am satisfied that the current levels of staffing are appropriate for the work of the Centre at present. The resources required are kept under active review.

In the context of a rapidly changing international security landscape, which impacts directly on Ireland, the Centre will continue to facilitate and further inter departmental and inter agency engagement and collaboration on current and emerging threats to Ireland’s national security in support of Ireland’s wider security architecture.