Sinéad Gibney (Dublin Rathdown, Social Democrats)
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838. To ask the Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform whether his Department has a policy or goal of better insourcing of IT requirements and needs of the Department for better cybersecurity, autonomy, and crisis management; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [43683/25]

Jack Chambers (Dublin West, Fianna Fail)
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My Department recognises the need to have skills across the range of ICT and digital disciplines including design thinking, user experience, creative problem solving, data science and analysis, digital design and innovation, cloud infrastructures, cyber security and new technologies as they emerge. It also recognises that the most effective project teams tend to be a mix of internal (ICT and business) and external talent, of both temporary and permanent nature. To that end, the Department aims to strike the appropriate balance of internal and external skilled resources to deliver digital and ICT solutions, products, services and infrastructures that are available 24-7.

The Department works with Public Jobs, as the recruitment body for the Civil Service to meet our insourcing needs and have introduced innovations in the talent pipeline to meet the demand for digital and ICT skills. This includes availing of the Civil Service ICT Apprenticeship programme, which the Office of the Government CIO in my Department leads on behalf of the Civil Service. Our blended approach to resourcing also reflects the support requirements needed to deliver digital government services that are available on demand, 24-7.

This is complimented by market exercises as required for external resources in areas typically where specialist expertise is required such as in emerging technologies like Cloud computing, Artificial Intelligence, Cybersecurity etc. resulting in a hybrid model which provides a strategic blend of in-house expertise and external partnerships to deliver agile, scalable, and cost-effective solutions.