Dáil Éireann díospóireacht -
Wednesday, 15 Feb 2023

Vol. 1033 No. 4

Saincheisteanna Tráthúla - Topical Issue Debate

Disability Services

Deputy Matt Carthy

I am renowned for my brevity so I will try and keep it that way. I sincerely thank the Minister of State, Deputy Rabbitte, for taking this debate. It relates specifically to the issue of respite services in Cavan-Monaghan. She will agree that respite can make a huge difference for the family of a child with disabilities. It is good for the child, it is good for the parents and it is good for the siblings. It is an essential relief that ensures families can continue caring for their own child at home, but with a break to address other responsibilities, catch up on sleep, and provide everyone with a bit of respite. There are a number of issues with respite services in Cavan-Monaghan. For example, there are no such services at all for children in County Monaghan. When the service in County Cavan operates, it operates very well, but it only operates every second week for children.

There is also a particular issue relating to the criteria-statement of purpose used by the HSE in Cavan-Monaghan. This is relatively new information to me. While I had often made representations and inquiries on behalf of families seeking respite for their children, I was unaware that different criteria are being used in different regions to determine whether a child can access respite services. In Cavan-Monaghan, the HSE has the strictest criteria-statement of purpose for respite care. It states a child must have a diagnosis of moderate or severe intellectual disability to be even considered. That is not the case in neighbouring counties. For example, according to the HSE response to my parliamentary questions, in counties Sligo and Leitrim the eligibility for a child to access respite care is that the child is known to the children's disability network team, CDNT, direct approval has been made by the children's referral committee and the HSE respite co-ordinator must complete a determination of needs assessment. In counties Louth and Meath, a committee in place bases its decision on the following rationale: children who access services in their respective CDNT, children in the care of the Child and Family Agency, Tusla, and children who live with families where there are multiple instances of disability. Importantly, it also includes children who present with significant behavioural challenges.

Essentially, children and their families are being discriminated against based on where they live. When it comes to disability services, above all else, that is not tolerable. I am dealing with one particular family and it is an acute case. The child does not meet the criteria that have been set out for moderate or severe intellectual disability. However, the child has disabilities and profound behavioural and other issues. The child and the family need support. They are going through a horrendous time. The child has not been able to access appropriate education, despite repeated efforts. The family is also going through other issues. Another family member is sick and in long-term hospital care. The Minister of State can imagine the pressure the child's mother is under, yet none of that is taken into consideration in respect of respite care. I have been told by the HSE that it is reviewing the criteria issue. Will the Minister of State give a commitment that it will be expedited, and will she agree to meet with this family to hear first-hand how the current policy is impacting them?

Minister of State at the Department of Health (Deputy Anne Rabbitte)

I will also be known for my brevity. Yes, I will agree to meet the family concerned. I will also take this matter up, before I meet with the family, if the Deputy will give me the case details. While he may feel this just applies to the Cavan-Monaghan region, as far as I am concerned, it is hard to believe and credit in the 21st century that the behavioural barrier is still in place in a lot of places around the country. Depending on the particular provider or organisation, its mission statement might be that it only supports individuals with mild to moderate intellectual disabilities but does not stipulate that it will support children who have behavioural issues. Recently I and the Leas-Cheann Comhairle read an article from Galway regarding a family who needed access to respite. We know the value of respite. Respite can never ever be underestimated in its value to support a family. Deputy Carthy's area of Cavan-Monaghan is quite an anomaly in the context of the country.

Children's respite care is provided every second week for both counties out of one building, the Annalee View Respite Centre. I cannot fault the staff there but they can only do it every second week. It is my ambition to address the lack of children's respite care in the Cavan and Monaghan area. The Deputy happens to be in community healthcare organisation, CHO 1, which covers a large number of counties. It covers Leitrim, Donegal and Sligo as well as Cavan and Monaghan. We have a plan to address children's respite services. Our first move was to source funding for Little Wonders Early Intervention Centre to allow it to provide after-school services for children in early years services with a preschool element. We have put something in place since I met the Deputy last year. That was put in place in September 2022. The plan is to scope out a proper, fit-for-purpose house to meet the needs of children that will have two front doors. One door will be for children who have mild to moderate issues and can have easy compatibility with other children. The second front door will be for children with complex medical and behavioural needs who might not be compatible with other children. We are using this model on the east coast and it is working well. We need to have a service that, rather than providing 840 bed nights in an entire year, is working seven days a week, 52 weeks of the year.

Deputy Matt Carthy

I thank the Minister for her response. We are at one in respect of where we need to get to and I welcome that. However, for the family I am dealing with now, time is of the essence. I fear that childhood is being impacted and also the well-being of the family. If one was to try and make this family's life more difficult, sometimes the responses of the agencies could not do a much better job. One of four children was attending a day respite care service in County Westmeath every Saturday and the child got word without any notice that their placement was being discontinued because they were considered not to be compatible with the service being provided. The Minister of State can imagine the conversations that we are having with this family. That is why I welcome the fact that she has committed to meet with them. We recognise how difficult these issues are but they need to be expedited. I welcome what is being talked about regarding building and expanding the services. The provision of more beds is crucially important. There needs to be a full-time, 52-week of the year operational facility in both Cavan and Monaghan. These are two large counties and I can promise the demand will be met.

As a matter of urgency, we also need the criteria to change to allow for discretion in the decision-making process. Anybody who has an ounce of compassion, never mind common sense, will agree that in this instance, there has to be a mechanism for this child to have respite care and for the family to have this support. The discretionary element is simply not there at the moment. I urge the Minister to talk to the appropriate officials to change that in the first instance. I will send her the relevant details on to the matters I have raised.

Deputy Anne Rabbitte

Later on, and not because we are having a Topical Issue debate this morning, I am meeting CHO 1 officials as part of my monthly meetings. I will bring up the point about the discretionary element the Deputy has raised. In the case that the Leas-Cheann Comhairle and I are aware of, the child was not on the radar whatsoever of the disability manager in that region. I will raise that in my meeting with CHO 1. Discretion is required. Children should not need a diagnosis if the CDNT knows that a family is in crisis. The circumstance for the carers has changed and the carers need support. The mother must be at the end of their tether trying to support her partner and the other children and still have a child who needs 150% support. The Deputy is correct to raise this matter. Discretion is required at all times and compassion needs to be part of it. In order for the relationship not to break down and in order for us not to have emergency cases where children end up going into full-time residential care, which is not what anybody wants, we need to support the family and the siblings. If the child is non-compatible with the other four, we need to make other arrangements. We need to be flexible and pragmatic. That is my ask of the HSE. Farming children out from one county to another is not how we do business. It is all supposed to be about closest to home, building that relationship and ensuring the children have the support in their own community. Sending a child from Cavan or Monaghan down to Westmeath is not good practice. It tells me that the CHO is under-resourced and does not have enough funding to support the children in its own area. We have a similar situation in County Meath. It is hilarious to think that all the providers in Dublin buy properties in Meath but Meath is not able to fund or support any of its own. We are changing that this year. I will look to do exactly the same with the children's services in the Cavan-Monaghan area.

Healthcare Policy

Deputy Sean Sherlock

The Minister has previously addressed this but I wanted to raise again the issue of access to ophthalmology services in the CHO 4 region, which covers County Kerry, north Cork, north Lee, south Lee and west Cork, which is presenting challenges. More than €200,000 has been spent on private providers in this area in the past while and more than 3,000 children are still waiting for ophthalmology intervention in the area. It appears that recruitment continues to be a significant issue. On 2 December 2022 I received correspondence from the South/SouthWest Hospital Group on foot of representations I made by way of a parliamentary question, where I asked the Minister for Health, Deputy Stephen Donnelly, the number of staff, the grade and the length of service of each member currently assigned to ophthalmology services across Cork hospitals and the number of vacancies in the same hospitals. I was told that there were approximately 39 whole-time equivalents in Cork University Hospital, CUH, but that the number of vacancies for whole-time equivalents is two. For South Infirmary Victoria University Hospital, SIVUH, it is 25 with a vacancy rate there of 2.7 whole-time equivalents while in the Mercy University Hospital, MUH, the number that came back is zero. The Minister told me that the South/SouthWest Hospital Group has advised that it "expects the new operating theatres will be opened in March 2023".

Will the €5 million ophthalmology unit become operational in March, as has been articulated in the past? What comfort can the Minister of State give to those people who are seeking to access public services now that the required number of vacancies will be filled? I fully appreciate that the HSE will spend considerable amounts of taxpayers' money on waiting list initiatives but the cost to the Exchequer of waiting list initiatives is increasing dramatically. In November 2021, 39 patients were referred to one of these lists at a cost of €15,000 while in June last year, 559 patients were referred to a private company at a cost of €83,000. If we want to get people through the list, that is fine and I do not think anybody has any issue with that but is not good value for money when we have a unit costing €5 million that is supposed to be for public service sitting there and there are still recruitment issues into the public service. We do not want to see a continuation of a waiting list initiative by private providers when it can be done through the public realm. It all boils down to the children I represent, the 3,022 children waiting for ophthalmology interventions. That is a significant number. I seek comfort from the Minister of State that what the taxpayer has invested in will become operational.

Deputy Anne Rabbitte

I am taking this matter on behalf of the Minister for Health, Deputy Stephen Donnelly so I will stick to the script so the Deputy will have his accurate answer. On behalf of the Minister, I thank the Deputy for raising this issue. The Government accepts that access to appropriate care is an important part of maintaining optical health. The HSE provides these services in hospitals and in the community. This includes specialist clinics for complex issues and routine testing by optometrists. Cork Kerry Community Healthcare currently operates paediatric community ophthalmology services across counties Cork and Kerry. The staffing profile of this service includes community ophthalmology physicians, optometrists, orthoptists and nursing staff - I apologise I am getting caught with the words this morning. Recruiting staff to these highly specialised areas can be challenging. However, the need for these specialist staff is recognised by the national clinical programme for ophthalmology.

As the Deputy said, ophthalmology services are also provided at three Cork hospitals, namely, Cork University Hospital, the South Infirmary Victoria University Hospital and the Mercy University Hospital. These services combined employed just over 65 whole-time equivalent staff at the end of 2022. At that time, more than four whole-time equivalents required recruitment. A regional eye care service is currently under development to serve the area. This involves collaboration between Cork Kerry Community Healthcare, the South/Southwest Hospital Group and the SIVUH. The service will be based at the new primary community care centre in Ballincollig and will provide a designated specialist infrastructure for community procedures related to ophthalmology. These will be performed by the multidisciplinary team, which includes multiple grades of staff. This will allow maximum use of skills to deliver the best outcomes for children and adults. The project is in line with the national clinical programme for ophthalmology, which recommends the integration of hospital and community care, and that clinicians and care providers work in teams. Efficient operation of such multidisciplinary teams will be essential to delivering primary eye care. Standards of clinical care will be maintained by clear governance structures and clinical audits.

A community-based model will improve access to care and will also alleviate some of the pressures on hospital services. The positive effects of a community-based approach can be seen in CHO 6, CHO 7 and CHO 9, where primary care eye teams have been introduced. The teams have made a substantial impact on waiting lists in these CHOs. Their community-based treatments allow hospitals to focus their resources on more complex cases. The building in Ballincollig is operational and ready for equipping to deliver the integrated eye care service. This awaits funding approval from the HSE. However, stakeholders will meet tomorrow, 16 February 2023, to discuss what elements can be operationalised from within existing resources.

I feel I have not answered the question. I feel I had a better answer on a previous occasion I responded to a similar Topical Issue matter. I will listen to the Deputy's response.

Deputy Sean Sherlock

The Minister of State is sending a message back to the machine and the system. I appreciate that. I also appreciate the fact that she is taking this issue on behalf of the Minister and answers are not always readily provided to her.

I take some comfort from the fact that the building in Ballincollig is operational and ready for equipping to deliver the integrated eye care service. That gives me grounds for some hope. However, there seems to be a juxtaposition in the reply because the Minister of State's next sentence mentioned that the integrated eye care service "awaits funding approval from the HSE". She also said the stakeholders are meeting tomorrow. I am not directing this at her per se but in her reply, she said the building in Ballincollig is operational and ready for equipping. I need to know if it is going to be fully funded. The ophthalmology unit based in SIVUH, which cost €5 million, is not operational. I need some comfort for the people I represent in the CHO 4 area in order that I can assure them there will be seamless access to services, whether on a community basis or at consultant level.

The Minister of State made reference to the involvement of community. There is greater scope for community opticians to become involved in all of this but what they are telling me is that the €23 they get per medical card patient is not worth their while, given the associated administrative burden. Some people are leaving the system. If we are talking about a front-door system, where the front door is a GP or community optician, we must make it financially viable for community opticians to be able to deliver more. They cannot do that at €23 per patient because it does not reflect the cost of providing the service.

Deputy Anne Rabbitte

I thank the Deputy. The Minister and I appreciate that access to appropriate and timely optical services is a concern for many residents of Cork and Kerry. This is the second time I have answered on this. I assure the Deputy that ophthalmology is a priority issue for the Minister and his Department in 2023. He wants to see reform in this area to ensure people receive the service they require. I mentioned the HSE in my response and said that funding is an issue. Perhaps the fact that the service plan has not been signed off on or has not yet been completed and handed over to the HSE means that is the parcel it is awaiting. Reform in the area includes making the best use of the skills of many talented optical clinicians who live and work in Ireland. The Minister accepts that recruitment continues to be an issue and is liaising with the Minister for Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science with the intention of seeking an increase in the number of professionals trained in optical services. This will be needed, along with targeted recruitment, to increase capacity in the healthcare system and, looking forward, he is eager to see the expansion of community-based care. This will require increased integration between hospital and primary care providers. Success will depend on innovative, effective models of care that make the most of our resources. The collaborative work on the Cork-Kerry regional eye care service has been impressive. This progress offers reassurance that other such patient-centred services can be established in the future. Departmental officials will continue to liaise with Cork Kerry Community Healthcare to monitor the progress of the proposed eye care service.

My takeaway from what the Deputy said relates to the financial viability of community opticians and the role they can play. Perhaps it is something we should look for in CHO areas without such specialist teams.

Tourist Accommodation

Deputy Marc MacSharry

We have a very serious problem with the volume of tourism accommodation we have made available as part of our solidarity with the people of Ukraine who are seeking accommodation. Outside Dublin, an average of 30% of tourism accommodation has been provided. In the north west, an area with which the Leas-Cheann Comhairle is familiar, the average is as high as 60%. In places such as Rosses Point, it is 100%. In places such as Bundoran, it is approximately 75%. On average, throughout the north west and along the Wild Atlantic Way, the figure is 60%. There are particular issues in areas outside Galway city and Sligo town.

As the Minister of State will be aware, 2019 was the last proper year for tourism before the Covid-19 pandemic. We had tourism revenues of €5.2 billion. A reply to a parliamentary question I tabled referred to a direct correlation between every euro spent on accommodation for tourism and money in the economy. According to the Minister, an additional €2 to €3 falls to interdependent businesses within the economy for every €1 spent on accommodation. The same reply stated that while the Department does not have specific research, it is reasonable to say that if we have a 30% reduction in accommodation, there will be a 30% reduction in revenue. That would be in the region of €1.3 billion. Given the disproportionate amount of tourism accommodation involved - between 60% and 100% of the beds in the north west - we are going to suffer a disproportionate impact when the season begins next month. That is a major problem because our economies are hugely dependent on that eight-month season, including restaurants, bars, activity providers, local shops, supermarkets, personal care providers, including hairdressers, and so on.

There is going to be a need for a specific scheme to support these businesses. Otherwise, they will quite simply go under.

The other area on which there will be an impact is seasonal employment. Thankfully, we now have the Atlantic Technological University, ATU in our region but many from the region are students in Dublin, Galway, Limerick, Cork and elsewhere and they depend on seasonal employment to save money to cater for their exponentially rising accommodation, living and transport costs and so on. When I raised this with the Tánaiste some weeks ago, I regret to say that he was decidedly dismissive of it. The Department of Tourism, Culture, Arts, Gaeltacht, Sport and Media, according to replies I received some weeks ago, has no plans for an intervention. The problem is that we will be here in July talking about something, long after the horse has bolted. I very much hope that the Minister of State will respond positively, alongside his Government colleagues. An all-of-government approach is needed to ensure we have Covid-style supports for the wider business community and seasonal employees who are going to be adversely affected by this reality.

Minister of State at the Department of Tourism, Culture, Arts, Gaeltacht, Sport and Media (Deputy Thomas Byrne)

I am taking this matter on behalf of the Minister for Tourism, Culture, Arts, Gaeltacht, Sport and Media, Deputy Catherine Martin. The Deputy has raised the issue of support measures for businesses and individuals dependent on seasonal tourism that may be adversely affected by the reduction in capacity this season due to hotels and other tourism accommodation being used to house international asylum seekers and Ukrainian people fleeing war. I am familiar with every part of the Deputy's constituency and know full well the impact of tourism. He made a strong case regarding the impact that the lack of tourist accommodation will have on such an important sector of the economy of his constituency, particularly in the coastal areas.

We are approaching the first anniversary of the start of the war in Ukraine. Since then, Ireland has welcomed 90,000 people between those fleeing Ukraine and other international protection applicants. Of these, more than 70,000 have required State-provided accommodation. This is the largest humanitarian operation ever undertaken by the State and the people, and tourism accommodation has played a significant role in response to this crisis. Tourism is one of the most important indigenous sectors and the use of tourism accommodation to meet humanitarian needs, while necessary in the short term, has led to concerns for everyone involved in tourism. The availability of tourism accommodation has knock-on impacts for other tourism businesses and businesses in the wider local economy. Officials in my Department are engaging with a range of Departments, with input from Fáilte Ireland, to ascertain how best to mitigate the potential impacts on the wider tourism ecosystem of long-term use of tourism accommodation. Analysis is being done on those towns or areas most impacted by the unavailability of tourism accommodation. The Deputy made a strong case on behalf of Sligo, Rosses Point and Bundoran in particular, but also other areas of his constituency.

The strong early recovery of inbound tourism to Ireland last year was welcome but it is fair to say that the tourism industry faces a number of challenges. The industry was disproportionately affected by Covid-19. Hotel capacity, energy costs and labour shortages will continue to challenge the industry this year but, despite the challenges, it has stepped up in a substantial way. In budget 2023, the Minister for Tourism, Culture, Arts, Gaeltacht, Sport and Media secured €15 million in additional funding for overseas marketing of Ireland. As global competition heightens, sustaining extensive marketing campaigns will be vital to support the ongoing recovery effort, building on the initial inbound tourism demand seen in 2022. The budget also contains an additional €15 million for a range of industry initiatives, including €3 million for a continuation of the investment in skills development and retention and €2 million for domestic marketing. The Minister also secured additional funding of €3 million to allow Fáilte Ireland to continue its work in the area of sustainability. Tourism agencies are working hard to help those in the tourism sector. Tourism Ireland will roll out an extensive and targeted programme of activity in 2023, with a total marketing budget of €78 million. A wide range of promotional activities will be undertaken as well, working with the tourism industry at home and the travel trade overseas to facilitate sales. In addition, Fáilte Ireland will announce its plans for 2023 next week, which will include work in the areas of recruitment and retention of staff and sustainability.

The Deputy will be aware of the temporary business energy support scheme, TBESS, which is designed to support businesses with their energy costs over the winter months. The Minister has received extensive feedback on this scheme from the tourism sector, both in written form and at a recent meeting of the hospitality and tourism forum, which she co-chairs with the Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment, Deputy Coveney. This feedback has been shared with the Minister for Finance, Deputy Michael McGrath. The Minister, Deputy Catherine Martin, is also aware that the retention of the 9% VAT rate is to the forefront for tourism businesses and individuals right now. The industry views on this were clearly expressed at the recent hospitality and tourism forum meeting.

An Leas-Cheann Comhairle

I must stop the Minister of State there but he will get an opportunity to come back in again.

Deputy Marc MacSharry

I thank the Minister of State. I know these answers are prepared in advance and I know much of the content already. We know what is being done at the moment but more needs to be done. A strategic approach must be taken to this. I have given examples from my constituency and I have no doubt that the Leas-Cheann Comhairle and the Minister of State can give examples from theirs. Indeed, all constituencies are feeling the same proportional impact. The Minister of State said that this is the largest humanitarian effort that Ireland has ever made. Despite the equivalent obligations on Denmark, for example, its effort is half that of ours as a proportion of the population and there is a reason for that. I hope the Leas-Cheann Comhairle will be able to facilitate me in contributing to tomorrow's debate on the overall co-ordination of these matters. It is worth noting that since 11 December, the number of Ukrainian refugees welcomed to Ireland went up by 8% but in Denmark it only went up by 0.6%, even though Denmark is much closer to Ukraine. It makes one wonder.

In addition, the Minister of State mentioned the 9% VAT rate. Its retention is an absolute imperative. All things being equal, if there was no war and so forth, there may have been a case for bringing that back up in a buoyant, post-Covid tourism market that we would have been able to look forward to but that is done now. We are going to have to support the sector with the 9% VAT rate. I am aware of the energy relief scheme and welcome it but a strategic approach must be taken to support all businesses dependent on tourism in the country. In a welcome way, we are ingratiating ourselves with the world and the European community through our efforts. However, those efforts are not being matched in other countries. We have capacity issues that ultimately, I regret to say, may force us to pause our efforts in solidarity with Ukraine. Again, I restate my hope that the Leas-Cheann Comhairle will be able to facilitate a few words from me tomorrow on that debate.

Deputy Thomas Byrne

Again, I thank the Deputy for raising this issue. The work that has been done by the State and the people in welcoming refugees, particularly from Ukraine, over the past year has given a tremendous reputational boost to this country and that will have impacts across the economy and society to the benefit of everyone. We have done the right thing and we will benefit from that, apart from giving benefit to those most in need at this particular time.

The Minister for Tourism, Culture, Arts, Gaeltacht, Sport and Media is acutely conscious of the importance of the tourism sector, particularly in the regions. Tourism accommodation has a significant multiplier effect for businesses and she acknowledges that accommodation stock being taken out of the market brings a multiplicity of challenges, as outlined clearly by the Deputy. The Department has, both at the senior officials' group on Ukraine and beyond, communicated the potential challenges arising for the tourism ecosystem, particularly in those parts of the country, such as the Deputy's constituency, where high proportions of the tourism accommodation stock are directed to humanitarian purposes. A more detailed analysis of the scale of those challenges is being undertaken and will inform decision-making in this area, as will his contribution this morning. The Minister consistently engages with and takes on board the views of the hospitality and tourism sector, particularly around the need to avoid a cliff edge in support and she will continue to engage on this with Government colleagues.

Cybersecurity Policy

Deputy Aindrias Moynihan

It is approximately ten days since the cyberattack on Munster Technological University, MTU. Thankfully, students have been able to return to lectures and laboratories this week but, unfortunately, data from the cyberattack have been published on the dark web. I ask the Minister to outline the extent of the attack, including whether people's personal details have been compromised.

Local people have been asking about the data. MTU has some 13,000 students and over 1,000 staff. People have outlined concerns about the possible publication of their data. In addition to current students, there are tens of thousands of past students and staff and also parents who have been paying fees. They are also asking if their personal information has been impacted and at what point they will know about that.

I understand the HSE is issuing notices to people impacted by the cyberattack on its systems a year and a half ago. Many would have assumed that if they had not received correspondence by now, they were in the clear regarding that attack, so some were surprised to get a letter. How soon can people affected by the MTU cyberattack expect to be notified? Will a date be provided beyond which they can assume they are in the clear or are safe?

In addition to personal information, there could be research information, material the college was researching and information relating to intellectual property, preparation for patents, etc. Is any such intellectual property involved? Has it been encrypted, published or compromised in any way? Will the Minister clarify that? Past students seeking to engage in further education or make job applications may wish to access their data for transcripts. Is such information encrypted or is it accessible? Will the Minister outline the extent of the damage in that regard?

A recent International Data Corporation, IDC, survey of companies of various sizes across the US and Europe indicated that despite 85% of them having a playbook, preparation or recovery plan to deal with a cyberattack, 46% had been successfully attacked in the past three years. This figure refers only to companies that know they were attacked and admit it. Two thirds were forced to pay a ransom. The MTU attack is, unfortunately, not an isolated indecent. It seems that many different areas and organisations are being hit by ransomware. The same survey found that 43% of respondents had been hit more than once. What measures are now in place at MTU and other colleges to ensure they are protected from future cyberattacks? What measures are being taken with other colleges? Has the Minister met them to ensure they are prepared?

As I outlined, a cyberattack does not happen in isolation and steps such as exploratory probing efforts will often be taken beforehand. Was the MTU cyberattack caught on the first alert? Did the university's security system alert it? What happened in the case of any earlier probes? Did they go unnoticed or were they disregarded?

Minister for Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science (Deputy Simon Harris)

I thank Deputy Aindrias Moynihan for raising this important matter and keeping in contact with my office about it. This has been a stressful and worrying time for students and staff in the Munster Technological University campuses in Cork. I thank all of the staff in MTU for the incredible and tireless work they have put in over the past ten days in very difficult circumstances. We need to be clear that cybercrime and cyberterrorism are ever-present and growing threats to the safe operation of our institutions. The Deputy provided figures that show how prevalent cybercrime is becoming. It is a crime and we should always see it as such. It is an attempt to extort money through intimidation. In many ways, it is using a new technology to carry out old crimes, namely, theft and extortion.

Following the significant IT breach in Munster Technological University, my Department has been engaging with relevant stakeholders to understand the extent of the breach and its impacts on MTU students and staff. In my second role as Minister for Justice, I have been keeping in contact with the Garda about this and I am conscious of its ongoing efforts in this regard. MTU is working closely with the National Cyber Security Centre, NCSC, in relation to the breach. It is appropriate when a breach happens in any institution that it immediately connects with and plugs into the NCSC. MTU staff and students who may have been affected will now receive specific communications from MTU and all staff and students have been advised to remain extra vigilant to potential phishing attacks by email or SMS or other unsolicited communications. MTU has engaged specialist forensic services to review the nature of the data compromised and track any data that may leak online. The honest answer I must give to some of the Deputy's questions is that the work by specialist forensic services in analysing the exact extent of the data that may have been taken is ongoing.

An interim High Court injunction has been granted which prohibits the sale, publication, possession or other use of any data that may have been illegally taken from the university's systems. MTU has contingency plans in place for such an event and this means that core systems such as email, HR, finance, payroll and others are unaffected by this breach and continue to operate as normal. This has enabled the majority of MTU staff to continue working remotely and a return to teaching, which commenced on Monday of this week. MTU students and staff have been advised to check their email accounts and campus notice boards on a regular basis for guidance and updates. Further information and advice on how to spot and protect yourself against phishing attacks are available from the National Cyber Security Centre. MTU has taken swift action to respond to this issue and should be commended on that. I assure MTU and its staff and students that we will work closely to support them in every way we can.

On the Deputy's overall point, it is important that we recognise that cybercrime is a growing reality globally and in Ireland. As a result, we need to continue to beef up and further resource our structures to protect people, where possible, from such crimes. I am pleased to say that last year my Department confirmed significant multi-annual funding for cybersecurity resources to HEAnet to build cyber-resilience across our third level system. These resources will help equip HEAnet to expand the reach of its ICT security services offering to all eligible HEA client members, including institutions across the tertiary education system. The Department is also now providing funding to mobilise a sectoral security operations centre and security incident event management service via HEAnet to the education sector to mitigate the risks associated with cyberattacks through a consistent and comprehensive 24-7 detection and response capability. The 24-7 piece is important because these attacks are often timed to happen at weekends or during downtimes and bank holidays. We allocated €750,000 in 2022. I am pleased that, through the Estimates process and the Government's renewed focus on the issue of cybersecurity, an additional €3 million - a significant increase - has been allocated in 2023 for the development of cybersecurity services. Recurrent funding to the HEA, which is disbursed to individual institutions, can also be used for enhancement of IT systems.

Deputy Aindrias Moynihan

Tá sé os cionn seachtaine anois ó tharla an t-ionsaí seo ar scéim ríomhaireachta Ollscoil Teicneolaíochta na Mumhan, MTU. Tá an-bhuairt ar go leor daoine idir dhaltaí, iar-dhaltaí, thuismitheoirí agus an fhoireann go bhfuil a gcuid eolais phearsanta á chraobhscaoileadh ar an Idirlíon agus nach bhfuil sé slán. Caithfear a chinntiú go bhfuil gach iarracht á déanamh chun dul i ngleic lena leithéid d’ionsaí. Cad iad na céimeanna atá tógtha anois chun an t-eolas seo a láimhseáil agus chun a chinntiú nach dtarlóidh sé i gcoláistí eile ar fud na tíre? An bhfuil an tAire tar éis bualadh leis na coláistí eile? Cad iad na céimeanna atá á mbaint amach chun é sin a chinntiú?

Attacks like these do not happen in one go. There are often exploratory attempts beforehand. Was that the case with MTU? Was the attack detected on the first alarm? If there were earlier attempts, how were they viewed or dealt with? What is known about them? Is the attack over at this stage? We have seen that data have been published on the dark web. Is there further information that will be published? Are encrypted data being released? If so, has it been possible to measure the extent of that? Where are the next steps?

It is hugely important that support services are available to colleges and institutions in the event of an attack. I welcome the additional funding in that regard. Will additional funding be provided if these institutions need additional equipment in the years ahead? It is too early to be able to say what the cost will be. Will the Minister be able to put in place support for colleges and institutions to take those measures?

Deputy Simon Harris

I do not truthfully know the answer to the question on whether this was the first attempt to get into the system. I will try to get it from MTU if it is aware of it. The status of the attack is that the damage is now done and data have been taken. It is now about forensic analysis and providing information to people. The work is ongoing, with the forensic analysis under way. I am pleased the college is back open and I commend MTU staff and students in this regard. A huge body of work went into it. Impacted staff and students will shortly receive a specific letter of contact from MTU. In the meantime, the advice is to follow the general cyber hygiene advice on changing passwords and being extra vigilant. All support, advice and funding required by MTU on this matter will be provided. I am very pleased that MTU plugged into the National Cyber Security Centre and liaised with An Garda Síochána. I am conscious that there is work going on in this area. We will continue to work closely on this.