"We're very clear. We will not be paying any ransom."
Taoiseach Micheál Martin has said that a ransom will not be paid to the perpetrators of the cyber attack against the HSE.
Earlier on Friday, the HSE announced it had temporarily shut down its IT system after it was targeted in a
"significant ransomware attack".
Described as possibly the most significant cybercrime attack on the Irish state by Minister of State for eGovernment Ossian Smyth, it has caused major disruptions to health services across the country and it could be days before they return to normal.
Despite the attack, emergency services remain open and Ireland's Covid-19 vaccine roll-out has continued.
While it's been reported that there has been a demand for a ransom, the Taoiseach has said it will not be paid.
Speaking at a briefing on Friday, he said: "We're dealing with this in accordance with the advice we've received from cyber security experts.
"We're very clear. We will not be paying any ransom or engaging in any of that sort of stuff.
"People with the know-how are on this case on behalf of the state and on behalf of the HSE."
He said that the National Cyber Security Centre is working with the HSE to try to resolve the issue.
"We have the people in place, we have the capacity and we've the systems in place to deal with this and we're dealing with it methodically from the outset," Martin said.
"It will take some days to assess the impact and that is the proper way to do this."
