Aindrias Moynihan (Cork North-West, Fianna Fail)
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342. To ask the Taoiseach and Minister for Defence the measures being taken to protect any threat of damage to vital subterranean and submarine infrastructure with Ireland being a major international junction of such infrastructure; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [42158/25]

Simon Harris (Wicklow, Fine Gael)
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My Department is working to deliver Ireland’s first-ever National Maritime Security Strategy, which will aim, amongst other things, to enhance our maritime domain awareness and to protect our critical maritime infrastructure, in particular our critical undersea infrastructure.

A public consultation on the national maritime security strategy was launched on 12 June. The purpose of the consultation was to gather a broad range of diverse perspectives on the development of Ireland’s first such strategy. I am pleased that we have achieved significant public engagement with several hundred submissions received by close of business on 11 July. My Department's next step will be to analyse these contributions, which will help shape the development of the maritime security strategy.

Ireland's Individually Tailored Partnership Programme allows for cooperation in efforts to tackle cyber and hybrid threats, in enhancing resilience, and on maritime security, as well as cooperation on work to address the impact of conflict on women and girls through the women, peace, and security agenda, all of which require a whole of Government approach.

Ireland is engaged with a number of EU defence-related initiatives and frameworks, including the European Defence Agency, the Coordinated Annual Review on Defence, the Permanent Structured Cooperation PESCO, the EU Satellite Centre, the European Defence Fund and the European Peace Facility (EPF).

Another initiative I have taken to support this focus on maritime security is the approval to the Defence Forces' participation in the EU’s Common Information Sharing Environment (CISE). This EU programme 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.