Dáil Éireann Debate, Tuesday - 12 May 2026
865. Deputy Malcolm Byrne asked the Minister for Justice, Home Affairs and Migration the levels of co-ordination on national cybersecurity across all Government Departments; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [35316/26]
View answerCoordination across all Government Departments is essential to the advancement of Ireland’s national cyber security. My Department engages with other Government Departments on an ongoing basis through bilateral engagement and through established coordination mechanisms.
By way of example, the drafting and implementation of the third National Cyber Security Strategy, requires a whole-of-Government approach to facilitate cooperation and collaboration on measures to secure our digital infrastructure, enhance our resilience to cyber security threats, and build capacity at home and abroad to create a safer cyber environment.
To deliver the Strategy, an Inter-Departmental Committee has been established, chaired by my Department, with representation from the Department of Climate, Communications and Sport, the Department of Enterprise, Tourism and Employment, the Department of Defence, the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade, the Department of Public Expenditure, Infrastructure, Public Service Reform and Digitalisation, the Department of Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science, the Department of Education and Youth and the Department of the Taoiseach. This Committee will enable effective coordination on the implementation of the Strategy going forward.
Another strategic initiative which ensures effective coordination on matters relating to national cyber security across all Government Departments is GOVCore. The Cyber CORE project is co-funded by the EU and my Department and is designed to elevate and strengthen Ireland’s cybersecurity landscape. The project’s mission is to establish, mature and maintain efficient and effective cyber Co-ordination groups (COREs) across the Government, Energy, Digital, Health, Local Government, Transport, and Education sectors. Each CORE is tailored to the unique needs of each specific sector.
GOVCore’s membership consists of cyber security professionals from across government departments and agencies and specifically focuses on enhancing the protection of government systems and sensitive information, as well as preparing for and responding to emerging cyber threats that target government system or other critical national infrastructure. GovCORE members meet frequently to share cyber intelligence, best practice and lessons learned with other members and are supported by secretariat from the NCSC, which serves as the lead government agency on cyber security.
