Dáil Éireann Debate, Tuesday - 6 December 2022
87. Deputy Louise O'Reilly asked the Tánaiste and Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment if he will report on the progress or otherwise in the implementation of the National Digital Strategy; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [60487/22]
View answerThe Government launched the National Digital Strategy, Harnessing Digital – The Digital Ireland Framework, in February of this year. Much progress has been made on implementation, and a full progress report, covering achievements across all four dimensions of the strategy, will be published this month.
My Department is responsible for the Enterprise pillar of the Strategy, which deals specifically with the digitalisation of business in Ireland and I am pleased to acknowledge the significant achievements made to date in the implementation of this dimension of the Strategy.
In May of this year, I appointed a new Enterprise Digital Advisory Forum, to support and advise Government in driving the uptake of digital technologies by businesses across Ireland. The forum, which meets quarterly, brings together representatives of indigenous enterprises, multi-national enterprises, and experts in digital technologies and their adoption by business.
I also appointed Dr. Patricia Scanlon as Ireland’s first AI Ambassador. As AI Ambassador, Dr. Scanlon’s role includes promoting awareness among the public and businesses of the potential offered by AI, serving as a champion of AI as a positive force for the economy and society, and emphasising an ethical approach. The AI Ambassador also sits on the Enterprise Digital Advisory Forum.
In June of this year, the €85m Digital Transition Fund (DTF) was launched. The fund is in place to help businesses at all stages of their digital journey, from going online to facilitating exporting and using digital technologies to reach new markets and to improve their productivity and competitiveness. Under Budget 2023, €16m will be made available under the DTF.
In July, Government published a revised Statement on the Role of Data Centres in Ireland’s Enterprise Strategy, noting the need for complementarity in the digitalisation and decarbonisation of our economy and society. The Statement sets out the role of data centres as core infrastructure for digitalisation, and notes the need for the National Digital Strategy and the Climate Action Plan to operate in tandem, underpinned by a wider sustainable energy ecosystem.
In November, my Department organised the Digital Ireland Conference, an event that demonstrated Ireland’s ambition to continue to be a digital leader at the heart of European and global digital developments. It also demonstrated the Government’s commitment to enhance the coherence of digital and regulatory structures, and to drive greater clarity, coherence and cooperation in digital in Ireland.
There has been strong progress across our digital regulatory workstream includes the Government’s decision to designate our new Media Commission, Coimisiún na Meán, as Ireland’s Digital Services Coordinator, under the Digital Services Act, and work is ongoing to give operational and legislative effect to that decision.
Ireland continues to perform strongly on the Digital Economy and Society Index (DESI), and has this year maintained its position at fifth in the rankings of 27 EU Member States. In particular, we perform well in the adoption of digital technologies by enterprise, and the Index lists 64% of Irish SMEs as having at least a basic level of digital intensity. The target under the National Digital Strategy is to bring that number to 90% by 2030. We are determined to continue to drive progress across this and our other targets.
