10. Deputy Ivana Bacik asked the Taoiseach the engagements he had with the National Emergency Co-ordination Group in the days before, during and after Storm Éowyn. [13742/25]

Sentiment score: -0.08

We have spoken in this Chamber before about the significant delays in the Government's response to the scale of Storm Éowyn. With climate change, there are likely to be stronger storms in future. We need preparations. Some years ago, after flash floods in Louth, the then Minister, Simon Coveney, committed to putting business flood relief schemes on a permanent statutory footing. I believe that is the Government's plan. With Storm Éowyn, however, we saw that, while the Department of Social Protection can activate its humanitarian assistance scheme very quickly, it can take longer to source supports for community groups and small businesses. That must be addressed. There is a further key problem in that, even where flood defences are put in place, many insurers continue to refuse to offer flood protection to homes and businesses. In the UK, there is Flood Re, a reinsurance scheme to promote affordability and availability of insurance for British households that are at a higher risk of flooding. This is a very serious issue in my own constituency, particularly in coastal communities around Ringsend, Irishtown and Sandymount where it can be very difficult for households to get flood insurance even where there are flood defences in place. I know we are not the only constituency affected. Will the Government act to introduce a similar reinsurance scheme to offer protections for households and businesses that are really concerned about the likely impact of future flooding?

Sentiment score: 0.03

22. Deputy Ivana Bacik asked the Taoiseach how he intends to increase the coordination role of his Department in national security. [13743/25]

Sentiment score: 0.19

I certainly welcome the committee being established but we need to see the publication of the national security strategy. I have been raising this with the Taoiseach and his predecessors for some time. I also raised as long ago as December 2022 the need for briefings for Opposition leaders on national security matters. That was in the context of the HSE cyberattack, the presence of Russian ships in our economic zone and serious concerns about Russian spy assets in Ireland and activity of organised crime in Ireland. There is a serious lack of democratic oversight of national security, and we should be provided with briefings in opposition, as is standard in other countries, particularly if overseas actors are seeking to undermine our democratic system. Finally, we have been seeking a response from the Taoiseach to a parliamentary question on the use of encrypted apps within his Department and other Departments. Are there guidelines in Departments on the use of apps like WhatsApp and Signal for the sharing of confidential information? Clearly, we have seen a real concern about that in the US. Can the Taoiseach say if he or, indeed, Government advisers use WhatsApp for co-ordinating their work?

Sentiment score: 0.14