Dáil Éireann Debate, Tuesday - 16 December 2025
106. Deputy Paula Butterly asked the Minister for Defence if she will outline her Department’s work in collaboration with other Departments in the drafting of the National Cyber Security Bill 2024; and if she will consider integrating national cyber-security, both military and civilian, under one administrative umbrella. [70592/25]
View answerAs the Deputy may be aware, the responsibility for the National Cyber Security Bill lies with the Minister for Justice, Home Affairs, and Migration. Officials from my Department are collaborating with their counterparts in that Department on aspects of the National Cyber Security Bill that pertain to the interaction between Competent Authorities and Single Points of Contact under its provisions, and those under the European Union (Resilience of Critical Entities) Regulations 2024.
In terms of cybersecurity, the primary role of the Defence Forces is to protect and secure their networks and systems. This crucial role is being developed in the context of the High-Level Action Plan based on the Report of the Commission on the Defence Forces and will become increasingly significant as threats in cyberspace grow.
To that end, the Defence Forces Cyber Defence Strategy for 2024-2027 prioritised the establishment of a Joint Cyber Defence Command. This new Command, which was established in 2024, will conduct comprehensive operations to defend against cyber threats, support Defence Forces operations both at home and overseas, and enhance national cyber defence resilience and capabilities.
From a Defence perspective, we are on a positive trajectory to ensure the new Joint Cyber Defence Command is well-prepared to meet the ambitious targets outlined in the Cyber Strategy.
The functions of the National Cyber Security Centre, which falls under the Department of Justice, Home Affairs, and Migration, and the Joint Cyber Defence Command, which operates under my Department, are distinct and separate.
Although they conduct operations in two very different domains, they mutually support one another, in crisis and as such there are no plans to merge their diverse and separate functions.
