New council chaired by Taoiseach to oversee national security
The council will meet at least three times a year and a national security committee, chaired by the secretary general of the Government, will meet quarterly to review national security developments.
A new council is to oversee national security matters, the Taoiseach has confirmed, as part of a move to beef up Ireland's response to growing threats faced by the country.
Chaired by the Taoiseach, the council will "review strategic developments in Ireland’s national security, and consider reports on national and international security", a statement said.
The Tánaiste and minister for defence Simon Harris and minister for justice Jim O'Callaghan will also sit on the council alongside the Garda commissioner, Defence Forces chief of staff, director of the National Cyber Security Centre, secretaries general of Government, foreign affairs, defence, and justice, and the Taoiseach and Tánaiste’s chiefs of staff.
It will meet at least three times a year and a national security committee, chaired by the secretary general of the Government, will meet quarterly to review national security developments.
The Taoiseach said the council was needed to respond to threats Ireland faces.
“This new Ministerial Council on National Security is in response to an increasingly complex and challenging geopolitical and security situation across the world.
“This new structure fulfils a programme for Government commitment and will allow increased coordination and assessment of Ireland’s national security needs, capabilities, and risks.”
Meanwhile, Mr Harris has approved the nomination of Edward Walsh to be the next US ambassador to Ireland.
Mr Walsh is the founder and president of a New Jersey-based construction and property firm which operates throughout the US.
US president Donald Trump confirmed the nomination in a post on his social media platform, Truth Social, late last year.
He said that Mr Walsh is a “great philanthropist” in his local community.
He also described Mr Walsh as a “champion golfer” and that this was a “very good asset for the ambassador of Ireland to have”.
Mr Walsh will have to be confirmed by the US senate, a process which the Government here anticipates will be completed by the summer.
During his first presidency, Mr Trump nominated Edward Crawford to serve as the ambassador to Ireland.
However, the role went unfilled for over two years with Mr Crawford only taking up the position on June 13, 2019.
Also at Cabinet, energy minister Darragh O’Brien got Government to note the 2024 annual report for ESB, which showed that turnover last year was €7.25bn, compared to €8.776bn in 2023, with profit after tax at €706m compared to €868m in 2023.
The lower profitability was due to the reduction of wholesale energy market prices in 2024.
ESB has proposed a dividend of €188.7m, around €183.3m of which will be paid to the exchequer.
Health Minister Jennifer Carroll MacNeill got Government to note the expenditure report for the Department of Health up to the end of 2024.
Overall expenditure for 2024 was €24.575bn, including additional expenditure above the original budget of €1.754bn.
Overall, expenditure for 2024 was €2.255bn (10.1%) higher than the same period in 2023.
