The Government did not publish its annual national risk assessment in 2025, marking the first time the report has not appeared since it was introduced in 2014, aside from the disruption caused by the Covid-19 pandemic.
The report, produced by the Department of the Taoiseach, is intended to identify and analyse the most significant strategic and natural risks facing the State. The most recent assessment was published in September 2024 under then taoiseach Simon Harris, and no updated report has yet been issued.
The absence of a new assessment comes amid a period of heightened global instability, including the ongoing war in Ukraine, conflict in the Middle East and rising geopolitical tensions involving Iran, the United States and Israel. Concerns about energy security, cyber threats and the vulnerability of communications and energy infrastructure have also intensified in recent years.
Responding to a parliamentary question from Green Party leader Roderic O’Gorman, Taoiseach Micheál Martin confirmed the Government has not yet produced a new report and said the most recent assessment remains valid.
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“The national risk assessment provides an opportunity to identify and discuss significant strategic risks which may arise for Ireland,” Martin said in his reply.
“The most recent national risk assessment was published in September 2024 and remains valid today.”
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The Taoiseach added that his department was currently reviewing the process used to produce the report and was considering the next edition.
“My department is currently reflecting on the national risk assessment process with a view to producing the next iteration later this year,” he said.
However, a similar parliamentary reply in 2025 indicated that the Government had expected the next assessment to be published before the end of that year. No explanation has been provided as to why the report was not produced.
O’Gorman said on Sunday that such an assessment was critical especially at a time of heightened global volatility and change.
“The war in Iran and the immediate impact it is having on so many households in Ireland due to increased energy prices, shows how vulnerable the Irish economy is to being so dependent on fossil fuels.
“At the same time, the Government has decided that they didn’t need to do a new national risk assessment for 2025 or 2026,” he said.
“It’s hard to understand how the Government is happy to neglect undertaking this yearly assessment at a time of such crisis in the world.”
The national risk assessment has typically been published annually by the Department of the Taoiseach, usually following a public consultation process. It has been used as a high-level overview of strategic threats facing the country and as a tool to inform Government planning and policy.
In the foreword to the 2024 report, the Government noted that recent years had demonstrated the importance of preparing for major risks, citing events such as Brexit, the Covid-19 pandemic, the return of war to Europe, hybrid threats and cyberattacks on national infrastructure.
Martin said the national risk assessment is only one element of Ireland’s broader system for managing risks and preparing for potential crises.
“It is not intended to replicate or displace the detailed risk management and preparedness carried out across departments and agencies,” he said. “It is, however, an important opportunity to reflect on strategic risks facing the country in the years ahead.”
