Joint Committee on Media, Tourism, Arts, Culture, Sport and the Gaeltacht to resume Pre-Legislative Scrutiny of Online Safety and Media Regulation Bill 2020

The meeting at 12.30pm in Committee Room 1 of Leinster House will hear from representatives of the Broadcasting Authority of Ireland and the Data Protection Commissioner.

Committee Cathaoirleach Deputy Niamh Smyth said: “The Committee has previously heard from officials from the Department on this comprehensive and important legislation which is designed to transpose the Audiovisual Directive into law and proposes the appointment of an Online Safety Commissioner as part of a wider Media Commission to oversee the new regulatory framework for online safety. We now look forward to discussing the Heads of the Bill with the BAI and DPC.”

The General Scheme of the Bill was published in December 2020 by the Minister for Tourism, Culture, Arts, Gaeltacht, Sport and Media and consists of three general themes:

• Parts 2 and 3: The establishment of the Media Commission and dissolution of the Broadcasting Authority of Ireland;
• Part 4: Online Safety; and
• Parts 5 and 6: On-Demand Audiovisual Services and miscellaneous provisions regarding the transposition of the EU Audiovisual Media Services Directive.

The Joint Committee on Media, Tourism, Arts, Culture, Sport and the Gaeltacht has 14 Members, nine from the Dáil and five from the Seanad.

The meeting in Committee Room 1 can be viewed live on Oireachtas TV.

Committee proceedings can also be viewed on the Houses of the Oireachtas Smartphone App, available for Apple and Android devices.