Maeve O'Connell (Dublin Rathdown, Fine Gael)
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19. To ask the Taoiseach and Minister for Defence to report on his Department’s work in conjunction with the Department of Justice, Home Affairs and Migration on the establishment of a national security authority. [36394/25]

Simon Harris (Wicklow, Fine Gael)
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The Department of Justice, Home Affairs and Migration is the policy lead on the development of the national security authority. Officials from my Department are proactively engaging with officials in that Department in relation the specific needs of the Defence organisation, Defence Industry and operators of critical infrastructure.

Maeve O'Connell (Dublin Rathdown, Fine Gael)
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20. To ask the Taoiseach and Minister for Defence to report on his Department’s work in conjunction with the Department of the Taoiseach, on the development of the national security analysis centre’s national security strategy statement. [36396/25]

Simon Harris (Wicklow, Fine Gael)
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The Programme for Government 2025, Securing Ireland's Future, sets out a number of commitments relating to national security and defence, and work to give effect to these is well under way. The establishment of a Ministerial Council on National Security is a key commitment in the Programme for Government and it will function to enhance central co-ordination of the Department of the Taoiseach on strategic national security matters. The Council will ensure that at the highest level there is a structured, ongoing review of our strategic national security interests and systematised monitoring of progress with delivery on the Government’s commitments in this area, including the delivery of a National Security Strategy.

The preparation of a draft National Security Strategy, as set out in the Programme for Government, is ongoing by the Department of the Taoiseach, and will cover the range of national security issues that are being considered by the Ministerial Council. It will include the implications of more recent security, defence and international developments and their related impacts, including the implementation of the Report of the Commission on the Defence Forces. The work will integrate inputs from a range of relevant stakeholders, including the Departments of Defence; Foreign Affairs; Justice; Environment, Climate and Communications as well as the Defence Forces, An Garda Síochána and the National Cyber Security Centre. In this context, I expect that both the Department and the Defence Forces will contribute positively to the development of the national security strategy and the whole-of-Government response to defence and deterrence.

Work is also underway in my Department on the National Maritime Security Strategy.