Ivana Bacik
Question:1. Deputy Ivana Bacik asked the Taoiseach if he will report on the work of the social policy and public service reform division of his Department. [8212/23]
Ceisteanna - Questions
Departmental Functions
Mary Lou McDonald
Question:2. Deputy Mary Lou McDonald asked the Taoiseach if he will report on the social affairs and public service unit of his Department. [9601/23]
Mick Barry
Question:3. Deputy Mick Barry asked the Taoiseach if he will report on the work of the social policy and public service reform division of his Department. [9974/23]
Jim O'Callaghan
Question:4. Deputy Jim O'Callaghan asked the Taoiseach if he will report on the work of the social policy and public service reform division of his Department. [10049/23]
James Lawless
Question:5. Deputy James Lawless asked the Taoiseach if he will report on the work of the social policy and public service reform division of his Department. [10064/23]
Cian O'Callaghan
Question:6. Deputy Cian O'Callaghan asked the Taoiseach if he will report on the work of the social policy and public service reform division of his Department. [10248/23]
Richard Boyd Barrett
Question:7. Deputy Richard Boyd Barrett asked the Taoiseach if he will report on the work of the social policy and public service reform division of his Department. [10249/23]
Tógfaidh mé Ceisteanna Uimh. 1 go 7, go huile, le chéile.
The role of the social policy and public service reform division is to assist me, as Taoiseach, and the Government, in fulfilling programme for Government objectives to help create a socially inclusive and fair society. Specifically, the division assists the work of the newly-established Cabinet committees, as follows. The Cabinet committee on social affairs and public services and the associated senior officials' group oversee programme for Government commitments in the areas of social policy, with a particular focus on equality and integration, and public service reform. The Cabinet committee on children and education and the associated senior officials' group oversee programme for Government commitments in the area of children and education, including further and higher education, with a specific focus on child poverty and well-being, and reducing local area disadvantage. The Cabinet committee on health and the associated senior officials' group oversee programme for Government commitments regarding health and health reform, including Sláintecare, reform of disability services and development of mental health services. This Cabinet committee will also maintain an overview of public health, including the impact of Covid-19 and the cross-Government response. The Cabinet committee on the humanitarian response to Ukraine and the associated senior officials' group oversee the whole-of-government humanitarian response to assist people from Ukraine who have sought temporary protection in Ireland.
The division also assists the work of the Civil Service management board which oversees Civil Service renewal and other matters. It has departmental oversight of the National Economic and Social Council, NESC, and the Dublin North East Inner City Initiative, including through assisting the work of the programme implementation board, programme office, and oversight group. It has responsibility for establishing the new child poverty unit. It leads on the oversight of A Policing Service for our Future. It assists public service reform through membership of the public service leadership board and public service management group. It provides me with briefing and speech material on social policy and public service reform issues. It also participates in relevant interdepartmental committees and other groups.
I ask the Taoiseach about leaving certificate reform, which seems to have come off the rails again, unfortunately. Much expectation was built up over the course of Covid, when we had different forms of leaving certificate assessment, that we could have a radical overhaul of this very outdated exam which is not fit for purpose. It has not changed since I did it 30 years ago. There is much disquiet about the fact that the leaving certificate results day will be late again this year, as it was last year, which has implications for students. The mental health of young people is something we talk about an awful lot but the leaving certificate has the biggest impact on the life of a 17, 18 or 19-year-old. We have an opportunity to change it. In fairness to the Minister for Education, she has recommended some changes but she has fallen away from them. Perhaps this needs the Department of the Taoiseach to intervene. When will we see a radical shake-up of this outdated exam? It really is not fit for purpose anymore. I do not think anybody would stand up in this Chamber and say that it needs to stay in the current format.
I listened to the Taoiseach's response, including about creating an inclusive and fair society. I raise an issue with him that has again come across my desk that is neither inclusive nor fair. A nine-year-old child living in my constituency has been told it will take between four and six years for urgent and extensive root canal treatment in the public system. To seek treatment privately would cost thousands of euro that this family, like so many others, simply does not have. Our dental care remains a postcode lottery, with children waiting almost ten years for HSE school dental screening services. Primary level children who should receive three check-ups are not even receiving the first until well into the secondary school period. This is the most basic and routine of dental care which ensures that future costs are significantly reduced. This deterioration of the public dental health scheme is simply unacceptable. It is another example of the unravelling of that social contract. My constituents work hard but they simply cannot put their hands on that level of money. Like so many others, they have to choose between heating, eating and now ensuring that their daughter has the appropriate level of dental care. When will the Taoiseach take action to address this and the dental treatment scheme service?
When the film "La Haine" was released, then French Prime Minister, Alain Juppé, organised a special screening and instructed his cabinet to attend so that they might learn something about alienation in the Parisian suburbs. Will the Taoiseach organise a special screening for his Cabinet of the new film documentary, "406 Days", which premieres at the Dublin International Film Festival this Saturday night and deals with the outrageous treatment of workers in this country by a multinational company? The company in question is Debenhams and the 406 days referred to in the title is the number of days that workers were forced to walk the picket lines for justice. The Taoiseach and his Ministers might well blush in the darkness should they organise such a screening, as the failure of the Government to act in defence of those workers is apparent throughout. Will the Taoiseach now avail of the opportunity afforded by the launch of this film to say loud and clear that the Debenhams Bill, which aims to improve workers' rights in a liquidation situation and ensure that such a scandal never happens again in this State, will now pass quickly through these Houses and into law?
The Society of St. Vincent de Paul reports today that it got 230,000 requests for help in 2022, 40% of which were about energy costs. While everybody is being hammered by the energy increases and profiteering of energy companies, one cohort is being even worse hit because the inadequate electricity credits the Government has given to people are not being given to this cohort at all. I got an email from one person in Enniskerry today. In a response from that person's management company, it was made clear that probably thousands of apartment dwellers are in this situation and that the Electricity Costs (Domestic Electricity Accounts) Emergency Measures and Miscellaneous Provisions Act 2022 only covers meters with a DG1 or DG2 classification. If people have a meter with a DG6 classification, which thousands of multi-unit apartment dwellers have, they get nothing. They face bills of thousands and have not even got the €200 credit which, in and of itself, was inadequate.
Will the Taoiseach do anything for these people because they are being absolutely fleeced by profiteering energy companies?
I thank the Deputies once again for the questions. Deputy Ó Ríordáin raised the issue of senior cycle or leaving certificate reform. I assure the House that we are committed to ensuring that the leaving certificate is reformed and that it meets the needs of Irish students and the broader society and economy. Any system that does not evolve, no matter how highly regarded it is, will be overtaken by other countries where systems have evolved to prepare students for the ever-changing modern world. For example, the volume of data created and consumed over the past decade alone has increased by 5,000%. Ireland has a knowledge-based economy that thrives on the high quality of our graduates and workforce. Reforms have been made to date. It is not the case that the leaving certificate is the same exam that Deputy Ó Ríordáin or I did. Between 2016 and 2020, for example, the National Council for Curriculum and Assessment, NCCA, undertook an extensive review of senior cycle programmes and vocational pathways to include transition year, the leaving certificate applied, the leaving certificate vocational programme, and the leaving certificate established as well as Project Maths. The review involved broad research and consultation and was published in March of last year. The three tenets of senior cycle reform are to empower students to meet the challenges of the 21st century; to enrich the student experience and build on what is good in our current system; and to embed well-being and reduce student stress levels. The move of paper 1 was intended as an interim measure to spread the assessment load and to reduce stress for students. It was intended that as many students as possible could feel some effect of the reform programme before the main reform programme was introduced. The Minister for Education has listened to concerns from teachers' unions, students, Conradh na Gaeilge and others about the impact of Covid-19 on this year's transition year students in particular. Students sought clarity on the planning for the remodelled papers and despite this work being very advanced, student representatives continue to have concerns. To bring clarity for all concerned and to allow more time for the introduction of a paper 1 at the end of fifth year in Irish and English, the Minister made her announcement having briefed the Cabinet beforehand.
On the issue of dental waiting lists, I acknowledge they can be very long. I know of many cases in my own constituency that are similar to the one the Deputy mentioned and they are unacceptably long. There is engagement between the Government and the Irish Dental Association at the moment and additional funding has been provided in the budget for the dental treatment service scheme, DTSS, and we are keen to spend that money and to deploy it but we need to have an agreement with dentists on that, and we are examining whether we can use the National Treatment Purchase Fund, NTPF, to pay for some children to go privately if that is the only way they can get the dental care they need.
I have seen "La Haine". It is one of my favourite films and it is a particular portrayal, of course, of life in suburban Paris. I imagine there are other films also that might give a more rounded view but that is an aside. We do not have any plans at the moment to organise film screenings for staff but we encourage staff to attend the Dublin Film Festival to see whichever film they choose that they think they will find the most interesting.
They should watch the film about Debenhams.
On the serious point, both Ministers of State, Deputies Richmond and Calleary, are working on changes to company law and employment law with regard to insolvencies, workers' rights, redundancy and the interplay therein.
I am familiar with some issues around the energy credit, particularly for people living in mobile homes and caravans. I am not particularly familiar with the one around the DG6 meters but I will speak to the Minister, Deputy Eamon Ryan, about it. If all else fails, the way around this might be to use an exceptional needs payment and just make a payment of €600 to the people affected. The intention of the energy credit was that every household would receive a €600 discount from their bills and if there are complications or anomalies, I am keen to mop them up. It is there for everyone and I do not want people to be left out.
Will the Taoiseach get back to us on that?
I can. Could the Deputy send me a note on it? There are a few anomalies that I am not 100% sure on; I am not fully across that one.
Defence Forces
Mary Lou McDonald
Question:8. Deputy Mary Lou McDonald asked the Taoiseach if he will report on the work of the high-level steering board, chaired by the Secretary General of his Department, to oversee the implementation of the high-level action plan for the report of the Commission on the Defence Forces. [8122/23]
Ivana Bacik
Question:9. Deputy Ivana Bacik asked the Taoiseach if he will report on the work of the high-level steering board, chaired by the Secretary General of his Department, to oversee the implementation of the high-level action plan for the Report of the Commission on the Defence Forces. [9674/23]
Mick Barry
Question:10. Deputy Mick Barry asked the Taoiseach if he will report on the work of the high-level steering board, chaired by the Secretary General of his Department, to oversee the implementation of the high-level action plan for the Report of the Commission on the Defence Forces. [9975/23]
Jim O'Callaghan
Question:11. Deputy Jim O'Callaghan asked the Taoiseach if he will report on the work of the high-level steering board, chaired by the Secretary General of his Department, to oversee the implementation of the high-level action plan for the Report of the Commission on the Defence Forces. [10050/23]
James Lawless
Question:12. Deputy James Lawless asked the Taoiseach if he will report on the work of the high-level steering board, chaired by the Secretary General of his Department, to oversee the implementation of the high-level action plan for the Report of the Commission on the Defence Forces. [10065/23]
I thank the Deputies for their questions and I propose to take Question Nos. 8 to 12, inclusive, together.
The high-level action plan for the Report of the Commission on the Defence Forces, agreed by the Government in July 2022, sets out that the initial implementation and oversight structure would comprise a high-level steering board chaired by the Secretary General of the Department of the Taoiseach, an independently chaired implementation oversight group and an implementation management office. The high-level steering board, whose membership comprises the Chief of Staff of the Defence Forces, the Secretaries General of the Departments of Defence, Justice, Foreign Affairs, Public Expenditure, National Development Plan Delivery and Reform, and Environment, Climate and Communications, and the chair of the implementation oversight committee, will hold their first meeting today.
The board will steer the implementation oversight group and provide guidance where necessary as well as acting as a clearing house for issues or blockages in the implementation of the commission’s recommendations. The implementation oversight group has met four times to date, most recently last week, and is overseeing and driving the implementation of the recommendations of the Commission. The civil-military implementation management office, which was established last year, is in the advanced stages of developing a detailed draft implementation plan and implementation of the early actions as set out in the high-level action plan under the stewardship of the oversight group. To date, approximately two thirds of these 38 additional actions have been achieved and progress continues on the remaining early actions. A comprehensive update on all the early actions will be published soon.
The Commission on the Defence Forces report in February 2020 contained 69 main recommendations and, together with sub-recommendations, brought the total to 130. The high-level action plan was published in July 2022 and accepted only 37% of those recommendations. Last November, the then Minister for Defence, Deputy Coveney, confirmed that the initial focus of that implementation management office was the implementation of 38 early actions. He told the House that significant progress had been made on the implementation of these actions, the vast majority of which were at an advanced stage. We have had a commission report, a high-level action plan, an implementation management office, an implementation oversight group, a high-level steering board and from what the Taoiseach just said, a work-in-progress implementation plan, to focus on 38 of 130 recommendations. The Government is approaching three years in office and given that it is now March, what progress has been made in the intervening months?
There is a serious recruitment and retention crisis in our front-line uniform services. In recent weeks, we have seen clear evidence in the shortage of paramedics and ambulance staff and we know it is proving very difficult to recruit gardaí, and many are leaving due to the working conditions and to levels of abuse and assaults. These developments add to a trend that has long been apparent in the Defence Forces. As was revealed in reply to Deputy Brendan Howlin two weeks ago, the strength of our Defence Forces has fallen below 8,000 for the first time in decades. We have a major shortage of sailors, soldiers and aviators. A further two ships, the LÉ Róisín and the LÉ Niamh, are to be mothballed because there are not enough personnel to keep them at sea. Recruitment during 2022 was notably lower than in previous years. The establishment's strength is meant to be at 9,500 and if we are to reach level of ambition two, the strength should be 11,500. That target simply is not achievable in the next few years without radical change. The same trend is being seen in An Garda Síochána. Clearly, there needs to be a focused review of why so many gardaí and Defence Forces personnel are leaving. The wages and terms and conditions of employment simply are not attractive enough. Does the Taoiseach intend to set up the special task force the Garda Representative Association, GRA, has called for?
Next week will be the 100th anniversary of four massacres that took place during the Civil War in County Kerry. The first was carried out by anti-treaty IRA troops at Knocknagashel on 6 March resulting in five people dead. The other three were carried out by the Free State army at Ballyseedy, Killarney and near Cahirsiveen on 7, 8 and 12 March. In total, 17 prisoners of the Free State were killed in those three atrocities. At Ballyseedy, the Free State army tied prisoners to each other and tied them to a barricade that they had mined themselves. So grotesque was the result that it is said that the birds ate flesh from the branches of the trees for days afterwards. Historians have shown that the Minister for Defence, General Richard Mulcahy, lied to the Dáil when he said the mines had been laid by the anti-treaty IRA. The Dáil record was never corrected. As the leaders of the two Government political parties that originate from the Civil War forces, both the Taoiseach and the Tánaiste should make statements to the Dáil next week correcting the official record of Dáil Éireann and condemning the war crimes that were committed in County Kerry 100 years ago by both sides, including by the forces of this State.
My question to the Taoiseach relates to the report of an independent review that is to be given to the Minister for Defence, Deputy Micheál Martin, today into allegations of bullying and harassment in the Defence Forces, namely, the women who featured in the high-profile radio documentary, "Women of Honour", in late 2021. These are female Defence Forces members who acted as whistleblowers in regard to their own treatment of bullying and sexual harassment in the military. The Minister for Defence said he is fully committed to ensuring that every member of the Defence Forces has the right to undertake his or her duties in a safe environment underpinned by dignity and equality and in a culture of zero tolerance for any kind of bullying, discrimination, harassment or sexual abuse.
My question is similar to the question I asked earlier. The report is to be handed to the Minister today. Following that, it is to be reviewed by the Attorney General. The Minister will bring the report to Government for consideration and subsequent publication but there is no timeline on the publication of the report. Similar to the earlier case of the abortion review, we need a timeline for such reports. We cannot leave these women waiting. It is a year since that report was commissioned, and more than a year since the documentary. That is a long time for them to wait.
I thank the Deputies for their questions. Regarding the implementation of the recommendations of the Commission on the Defence Forces, the high-level action plan sets out the initial implementation and oversight structures. The high-level steering board is chaired by the Secretary General of the Department of the Taoiseach, and that oversees delivery. The implementation oversight group has been established to monitor the implementation of the recommendations approved by the Government. The group, chaired by Ms Julie Sinnamon, has met four times to date. The most recent meeting was held on 27 February 2023. Some recommendations are considered a priority and these are the ones which will be implemented first. A civil-military implementation management office has been established, initially focusing on the 38 early actions set out in the high-level action plan, and the production of an implementation plan. Work is at an advanced stage on the implementation of these 38 early priority actions, including the development of an implementation plan. The implementation plan will clearly set out the work that is to be progressed this year and indeed beyond.
In regard to the issue of the report on the "Women of Honour", a judge-led review was established by the then Minister for Defence, Deputy Coveney, following Government approval. It has examined those very systems, policies and procedures for dealing with issues relating to bullying, discrimination, harassment, sexual harassment and sexual misconduct in the Defence Forces, as well as the prevailing workforce culture. I am fully confident that this review has been a necessary and critical first step to address the need for a safe work environment for serving members, with zero tolerance for such unacceptable behaviour. The chair of the independent review group, Ms Justice Bronagh O'Hanlon, submitted the final report to the Minister for Defence on 2 February. He is now considering the report in full in consultation with the Attorney General. Thereafter he will bring the report to the Government for consideration and assessment, with subsequent publication thereafter. There is a process to be followed but there will not be any undue delay in this regard. I do not intend to pre-empt any of the recommendations in the report but I reiterate that the terms of reference of the review are wide ranging and provide that the Government may consider further work on receipt of an independent review, including with regard to matters of an historical nature and how these might be best pursued and further inquired into.
With regard to steps we are taking to address recruitment and retention issues in the Defence Forces, I acknowledge that we have a severe problem with recruitment and retention but this is not in any way unique to the Defence Forces or, indeed, unique to Ireland. Recruitment and retention are major challenges across all sectors of our economy, public sector and private sector, low-paid jobs and high-paid jobs. In many ways that is a feature of the fact that we are now close to full employment with more people working in Ireland than ever before, youth unemployment close to an all-time low and female workforce participation close to an all-time high. We need to be mindful of that context. When we approach full employment, we will see recruitment and retention difficulties throughout the public and private sectors, not just in areas where there was traditionally a problem. The world of work has changed. People are less likely to commit to a job for life, or a career for life, in the way they did in the past. That is I believe a good thing, by the way. Resignation rates from organisations in both the public and private sectors of 4% to 5% are now quite normal and 1% is low.
On the Defence Forces specifically, we have approved a move to increase the capability of the Defence Forces by an additional 2,000 personnel, beyond the current establishment figure of 9,500. The immediate focus is on stabilising the staffing situation and bringing the strength up to 11,500 by 2028, including a civilian component. There is ongoing general service and direct entry recruitment. A separate recruitment competition has been launched specifically for the Air Corps. Direct entry competitions are ongoing as are the re-entry schemes for former members of the Defence Forces. The Be More recruitment campaign launched last year highlights the career opportunities available in the Defence Forces, and the wider benefits of membership. Measures being implemented include service commitment schemes in the Air Corps and the Naval Service and a seagoing naval personal tax credit. Pay has improved as a result of increases arising from the Public Service Pay Commission report, recent pay agreements and the early implementation of some of the recommendations of the Commission on the Defence Forces. Two of these recommendations, namely, personnel of three-star private able seaman rank being paid the full military service allowance applicable to the rank and the removal of the requirement that the cohort mark time for the first three years at that rank, have had a substantial impact on starting pay rates in the Defence Forces, which now compare more favourably with starting pay rates across the public service. There is scope for further income as well from duty allowances. From today, pay rates, including the military service allowance for the ranks of three-star private or able seaman in the first three years of service will have a starting salary of more than €37,000 rising to €38,500 in year 2 and just less than €40,000 in year 3.
Finally, Deputy Barry’s question is a fair question but probably not best dealt with in this type of format. The Civil War happened 100 years ago. Atrocities were committed on both sides, as he said, by the national army and also by the irregulars. Those atrocities were wrong and I acknowledge that but there is an appropriate place for us to deal with that and it is not at Taoiseach’s Questions on a random Wednesday afternoon.
National Security Committee
Mary Lou McDonald
Question:13. Deputy Mary Lou McDonald asked the Taoiseach the membership and terms of reference of the national security committee chaired by the Secretary General of his Department. [8123/23]
Ivana Bacik
Question:14. Deputy Ivana Bacik asked the Taoiseach the membership and terms of reference of the national security committee chaired by the Secretary General of his Department. [9673/23]
Jim O'Callaghan
Question:15. Deputy Jim O'Callaghan asked the Taoiseach the membership and terms of reference of the national security committee chaired by the Secretary General of his Department. [10051/23]
James Lawless
Question:16. Deputy James Lawless asked the Taoiseach the membership and terms of reference of the national security committee chaired by the Secretary General of his Department. [10066/23]
Richard Boyd Barrett
Question:17. Deputy Richard Boyd Barrett asked the Taoiseach the membership and terms of reference of the national security committee chaired by the Secretary General of his Department. [10250/23]
Tógfaidh mé Ceisteanna Uimh. 13 go 17, go huile, le chéile.
The national security committee is chaired by the Secretary General of 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, NCSC, An Garda Síochána and the Defence Forces.
The committee is concerned with ensuring that the Government and myself are advised of high-level security issues and the responses to them. It is not concerned with the detail of operational matters.
As Taoiseach, I am briefed periodically by the Garda Commissioner and by relevant officials on the national and international security situation and on any individual security-related incidents that may arise. I am also briefed periodically by the Minister for Justice on these matters. Relevant Ministers can also brief the Government on security issues within their remit as and when the need arises. Deputies will appreciate that the work of the national security committee is of a very confidential nature and it is long-standing policy not to discuss it in detail, particularly not in a public forum. I believe the reasons for this are self-evident. What I can say is that the committee meets regularly and also meets as may be required by specific events or high-level security concerns when they arise.
The committee's focus is on the main threats to the State's security, including the continuing threat from dissident paramilitaries and religious fundamentalists. We have seen in the past week, with the cowardly attack on PSNI officer John Caldwell in Omagh by the IRA, the continuing lethal threat that these small groups still present. Given the overall nature of the overall security landscape, the committee has maintained a particular focus on international security and cyber issues.
As the national cybersecurity strategy mid-term review acknowledges, the security and resilience of network and information systems are vital for Ireland's continued security and prosperity. Critical national infrastructure and essential services rely on complex systems and data flows which are vulnerable to attack by cyber criminals and other sophisticated actors, as we saw recently in Munster Technological University, MTU.
Under the Commission's cybersecurity strategy for the digital decade, the EU has pledged to quadruple its investment in cybersecurity. There are now 489 cybersecurity firms operating in this State. It is the is IT infrastructure of Departments and State bodies that remain of significant concern. Annual investment in this area has been woefully underdeveloped and its infrastructure is now vulnerable. Funding for the National Cyber Security Centre has increased but without significant ramping up of the technology delivering modern integrated networks across the public sector, what is happening is, in effect, building a house without foundation. Will the Taoiseach outline the whole-of-government approach to addressing the investment and technology deficits that remain across large sections of the public service and the planned budgetary investment for the remainder of the term of this Government?
The Taoiseach and other Government spokespersons have repeatedly justified the review, to use the language they tend to use, of our neutrality in terms of the threat of cyberattacks. Is that a bit of a ruse, given that they are not looking at the lessons of the biggest cyberattack that happened here on 14 May 2021? Far from suggesting that we should abandon neutrality, or whether this has anything to do with neutrality or our Defence Forces, it is suggested the biggest cyberattack we witnessed was due to the lack of a state-of-the-art, up-to-date computer system in our health service which allowed patient information and corporate documents to be taken. This is connected to the crisis more generally in the health service. Something which has been repeated to me by many healthcare workers is that the ancient and inadequate nature of the computer technology in our health service is the real problem. I am not saying there is no cybersecurity threat but if we do not have decent computer technology and IT systems in places like the health service, not only are we vulnerable to those kinds of attacks but this is also a significant part of the crisis we are facing in terms of health services generally.
I draw the attention of the Taoiseach to the recent Environmental Protection Agency, EPA, report showing that at 42 sites, factories and landfills posed a pollution threat to our water sources. The EPA has stated that five of those sites have been put on a priority list for enforcement action after serious and repeated concerns were raised over discharges to local water sources. Of the five, four are in the meat or dairy sector, namely, Kepak Athleague, North Cork Co-Op Creameries, Aurivo Dairy Ingredients and Western Brand Group. The EPA has warned that breaches by food and drink firms threaten the so-called clean and green image of the sector which is crucial to its success. I would argue that part of its success is the light-touch regulation from the State. We need to come down hard on the way food is produced and food quality in this country in the meat producing and dairy sectors, not just for reasons of water quality but also due to the emissions that will harm our CO2 reduction targets.
The matter the Deputy raises is not quite national security related.
It is a matter of national security if we do not have decent water.
It is a bit of a stretch.
I thank the Deputies. The Government has invested considerably over the past number of years in the National Cyber Security Centre, which is currently operated at a high state of preparedness and response due to recent cyber incidents and the Russian invasion of Ukraine and related cyber and hybrid threats arising from that conflict. The NCSC monitors potential threats and is in ongoing contact with our counterparts in the European Union, the UK, the US and other countries to share information and monitor the impacts of possible threats. The NCSC continues to work particularly closely with the Defence Forces and An Garda Síochána and is in frequent contact with operators of critical infrastructure and services to monitor potential malicious and cyber activities. The NCSC provides regular advice to Government Departments and agencies on cyber planning and emergency response requirements and through regular exercises.
Regarding the MTU attack mentioned by Deputy Clarke, cyber threats are an ever-present and growing risk to the safe operation of information systems across all sectors and the economy. These attacks are crimes and must be dealt with as such. They very often have an international element.
MTU was subject to a cyberattack and, in conjunction with the NCSC and An Garda Síochána, MTU has worked to identify the extent of the breach, its impact and take actions to deal with the consequences. Specialist forensic services are viewing the nature of the attack and the impacts on the data. An interim High Court injunction has been granted which prohibits the sale, publication, possession or use of any data that may have been illegally taken from the university's systems. Contingency plans were in place for such an event and the MTU core systems, such as email, HR, finance and payroll, were not affected by the breach and have continued to operate.
The cyberattack on the HSE shows that neutrality does not protect us from cyberattacks, nor does it protect us from hybrid warfare. I spoke to a number of experts down the years about cyberattacks and even the most sophisticated and well resourced systems come under attack. That is why we need to co-operate and get help from our allies when it comes to security and defence, cybersecurity and dealing with potential international terrorist threats.
Deputy Smith's question is an important one but, unfortunately, I do not have a briefing on it in this group of questions. I will come back to her in writing.
Cabinet Committees
Mattie McGrath
Question:18. Deputy Mattie McGrath asked the Taoiseach when the Cabinet committee on the environment and climate change will next meet. [9797/23]
Ivana Bacik
Question:19. Deputy Ivana Bacik asked the Taoiseach when the Cabinet committee on the environment and climate change will next meet. [9676/23]
Tógfaidh mé Ceisteanna Uimh. 18 agus 19 le chéile.
The Cabinet committee on the environment and climate change oversees the implementation of the ambitious programme for Government commitments on the environment and climate change. The Cabinet committee considers matters relating to climate change, biodiversity loss and the quality of our water and air. It is a forum for consideration of potential policies or interventions posed at a national or EU level to improve Ireland's environmental performance.
The updated climate action plan 2023 was approved by Government and published on 21 December. It contains policies, actions and measures intended to lower greenhouse gas emissions and helps Ireland adopt to the adverse impacts of climate change that are now evident and unavoidable. The plan sets out actions that are required across the sector to meet Ireland's statutory target of reducing emissions by more than half by 2030, with 2018 being the baseline year, and achieving carbon neutrality by the middle of the century.
The plan identifies actions that would help the Government to adhere to the carbon budget and sectoral emission ceilings we adopted last year.
It identifies key performance indicators within each sector that will be used to measure our progress. The plan will be accompanied by an annexe of actions which will provide further detail on implementation, including specific timelines and bodies responsible for ensuring actions are completed as planned. The annexe is being finalised and will be published in the coming weeks. The next meeting of the Cabinet committee is scheduled to take place on Thursday, 20 April and will continue to meet regularly to progress all aspects of the Government's ambitious climate action and environmental policy agenda.
Does the Taoiseach accept that Ireland's energy security policies are failing Ireland and they are more in tune with the green agenda of the Minister for the Environment, Climate and Communications, Deputy Eamon Ryan, and others? Does he acknowledge that the policies are driving up the costs of food, electricity, petrol and diesel and gach rud mar sin for Irish citizens? While governments around the world are granting new oil and gas exploration licences to ensure cheaper energy for their citizens, Ireland's Minister for the Environment, Climate and Communications, Deputy Eamon Ryan, has effectively closed this option down. This is having a detrimental effect. We have to accept that four fifths of energy worldwide comes from fossil fuels and we just cannot get over that fact at this point in time. We cannot be the outliers here in saving the world while we are penalising our citizens, small businesses and everybody else in an enormous way and putting them into penury. It is just not doable and it is a policy that is bringing us into deeper failure and síos an cul de sac mór.
Deputy Boyd Barrett will have one minute. This session will finish then. Then I will go back to the Taoiseach. If Deputy Boyd Barrett takes longer than one minute, the Taoiseach will not have time to respond.
I will take up the issue I raised earlier. The Taoiseach said he finds my position on offshore wind confusing. Yet, there is a thing called a "just transition". I know the Taoiseach does not believe in it, because his solution to everything is to let the private developers decide. That is what he has done with offshore wind. On the relevant projects, he gives them a free pass regardless of the impact on marine biology, fishers, etc., as if the two things have to be a trade-off. The truth is that there is a thing called "sustainable planning", where one plans out where it is suitable to protect the marine, where it is suitable to develop offshore wind and how we ensure the sustainability of existing industries, such as the fishers, etc. That is called sustainable planning. People argue for that and there is nothing contradictory about it. What they actually want is a just, sustainable transition to the climate future we need to have. Yet, what the Government is doing with the offshore wind at the expense of fishermen, marine biology and biodiversity is letting profit-driven developers dictate the development of the offshore marine. We are going to pay a price for that.
Deputy Mattie McGrath raised the issue of energy security. As a country, we are doing okay with energy security. I remember only a few months ago there was a real concern that we would be facing black-outs and brown-outs, but that has not happened. We have managed to get the necessary emergency generation in place and we are working to ensure it is in place for next winter and the one after. We have 90 days' worth of reserves for petrol, diesel, kerosene and oil, which is important too. We are examining whether we need to supplement our gas security with liquefied natural gas, LNG. However, we have two sources of gas, the two pipelines that come from the UK and our own Corrib gas field. I honestly do not believe the future is in further oil and gas exploration. There are a lot of licences for exploration that have been issued already and they will be honoured, but I do not think we need new licences. The future is renewable and that will give us energy security, energy price stability and energy independence. That should be the priority.
To reassure Deputy Boyd Barrett, I believe in a just transition. That is one of the reasons this will take time. Climate action could be done more quickly, but it would be hard to do it justly if we did it more quickly. That is one of the reasons we need to consider that as part of the just transition. I also agree with sustainable planning, but that requires an independent planning process. There is no Minister. Maybe it happens in some cases, but generally we have an independent planning process. The arguments are heard from all sides and independent planners make a decision-----
Developers have selected these sites.
-----on the right thing to do. The Deputy was cheeky enough to tell me what he thinks I think. He should let me tell him what I think he thinks, which is just to find any excuse to oppose anything and there is always a reason.
It would be a very confusing debate if that were to continue.
Is féidir teacht ar Cheisteanna Scríofa ar
www.oireachtas.ie
.
Written Answers are published on the Oireachtas website.
Cuireadh an Dáil ar fionraí ar 1.55 p.m. agus cuireadh tús leis arís ar 2.55 p.m.
Sitting suspended at 1.55 p.m. and resumed at 2.55 p.m.