Wednesday, 14 Jul 2021

Written Answers Nos. 1-23

National Broadband Plan

Questions (17)

Seán Sherlock

Question:

17. Deputy Sean Sherlock asked the Taoiseach the engagement he or the agencies under his remit has had with the National Broadband Plan in the past two months. [38210/21]

Written answers

The Taoiseach

Neither I nor any of the agencies under the remit of my Department have any direct role in relation to implementation of the National Broadband Plan. The Minister for the Environment, Climate and Communications is the lead Minister with responsibility for the Plan. He provides both me and the Government with updates as appropriate.

Departmental Correspondence

Questions (18)

Thomas Pringle

Question:

18. Deputy Thomas Pringle asked the Taoiseach if there are guidelines, written procedures or protocols or key performance indicators for acknowledgement of correspondence received and response to correspondence received, respectively by category of correspondence (details supplied) in tabular form. [38250/21]

Written answers

The Taoiseach

My Department has processes and systems in place to manage acknowledgement and reply to all correspondence received. My Department has a Customer Charter which outlines our commitment to providing service to the public in accordance with the 12 principles of quality customer service and defines our service standards in clear and simple language. This sets out expected timelines for acknowledging and responding to correspondence received which applies equally to all correspondence. The detailed customer service action plan and charter for my Department can be viewed at the following link www.gov.ie/en/organisation-information/179e67-quality-customer-service/.

Departmental Strategies

Questions (19, 20)

Holly Cairns

Question:

19. Deputy Holly Cairns asked the Taoiseach the way his Department and public bodies and agencies under his remit are implementing Action 16 of the National Disability and Inclusion Strategy 2017-2021 (details supplied). [38500/21]

Holly Cairns

Question:

20. Deputy Holly Cairns asked the Taoiseach the way his Department and public bodies and agencies under his remit are implementing Action 32 of the National Disability and Inclusion Strategy 2017-2021 (details supplied). [38517/21]

Written answers

The Taoiseach

I propose to take Questions Nos. 19 and 20 together.

My Department supports the implementation of national policies and strategies designed to advance the lives of people with disabilities including those set out in the National Disability Inclusion Strategy 2017-2021.

Neither my Department nor the National Economic and Social Development Office (NESDO), the only body under the aegis of my Department, currently provide statutory services and do not have a requirement to provide accessible online information or services directly to members of the public and therefore do not have a disability consultative committee. The private offices of the Taoiseach and other Ministers located in my Department do take phone calls and respond to correspondence from the members of the public on general matters and the Department has a strong commitment to customer service, including addressing any additional needs that any customer may highlight, as set out in the Department’s customer service action plan available at www.gov.ie/en/organisation-information/179e67-quality-customer-service/.

The Government Information Service also has a role in publishing information for the public in relation to certain whole-of-government information campaigns such as COVID-19 and BREXIT. My Department's main website is hosted on the gov.ie central platform managed by the Office of the Government Chief Information Office (OGCIO) under the Department of Public Expenditure and Reform. This is the main government site with over 122 million pageviews in 2020 and it partially complies with the WCAG 2.1 standards and the 4 principles of accessibility in that it is perceivable, operable, understandable and robust. I am advised that the OGCIO has performed multiple accessibility reviews since the website went live and they have engaged with an accessibility expert to outline all accessibility requirements.

Question No. 20 answered with Question No. 19.

State Bodies

Questions (21, 22, 23)

Gary Gannon

Question:

21. Deputy Gary Gannon asked the Taoiseach the current status of the national security analysis centre. [38701/21]

Gary Gannon

Question:

22. Deputy Gary Gannon asked the Taoiseach the remit and powers that the national security adviser and the national security analysis centre will have. [38702/21]

Gary Gannon

Question:

23. Deputy Gary Gannon asked the Taoiseach the annual budget for the national security adviser and the national security analysis centre. [38703/21]

Written answers

The Taoiseach

I propose to take Questions Nos. 21 to 23, inclusive, together.

The National Security Analysis Centre (NSAC) was established by the Government as part of the implementation of A Policing Service for the Future giving effect to recommendations in the Report of the Commission on the Future of Policing in Ireland.

Its primary remit is to provide high-quality, strategic analysis to the Taoiseach and Government of the key threats to Ireland’s national security. The strategic analysis of threats is undertaken by personnel seconded from the various Departments and other State bodies with functions in the security area, and through liaison and close co-ordination with those partner Departments and agencies, including the National Cyber Security Centre. There is also ongoing liaison with EU and international counterparts and others.

The Director of the NSAC was appointed on establishment and a Deputy Director joined in 2020. The work of the Centre is supported also by administrative personnel from the Department of the Taoiseach with salaries and operational costs where needed, funded from the Departments’ Vote.

The Centre has been active over the last year in supporting aspects of the Government’s response to the public health emergency caused by Covid-19 and, recently, in support and co-ordination for the Ministerial group overseeing the response to the cyber-attack on the HSE.

Question No. 22 answered with Question No. 21.

Question No. 23 answered with Question No. 21.