Duncan Smith (Dublin Fingal East, Labour)
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238. To ask the Taoiseach and Minister for Defence if there is a hierarchy of undersea cable infrastructure in terms of protection; to outline the State's plans to protect the undersea networks; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [17132/25]

Simon Harris (Wicklow, Fine Gael)
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As the Deputy will be aware, Ireland like many other countries in Europe has witnessed a fundamental change in our security environment with an increased focus on maritime security and the protection of sub-sea cables. The security of Ireland’s sub-sea infrastructure is a matter of utmost importance with maritime security representing a priority action area for this Government. The importance of maritime security has been underscored by Government, through the commitment of my Department to lead in the coordination and development of Ireland's first National Maritime Security Strategy (NMSS).

The Office of Emergency Planning, during the national Risk Assessment process, identified the reasonable worst case scenario for Ireland in relation to sub-sea infrastructure as a coordinated attack on both gas inter-connectors to the UK.

Ireland is currently 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 protection. Participation in this project is one means of allowing Ireland to address and mitigate risks posed to sub-sea architecture.

You may also be aware that I recently approved the Defence Forces’ participation in the Common Information Sharing Environment (CISE), an EU initiative which enables structured and secure information-sharing among EU maritime authorities, both civil and military, allowing for more effective operations at sea amid new and evolving maritime threats.

The CISE will play a crucial role in increasing awareness of maritime activities and improving responses to growing threats at sea, including physical and cyber-attacks on critical infrastructure.

My Department has also worked with the Department of Environment, Climate and Communications and energy operators to stress test critical infrastructure in the energy sector against man-made threats. The results of these tests have been shared with the European Commission, as part of a cross-EU process.

The Department is also engaging with NATO through the Individually Tailored partnership Programme in the areas of national resilience, maritime security and subsea cables.