Joint Committee on Media, Tourism, Arts, Culture, Sport and the Gaeltacht to hear views of students on Online Safety and Media Regulation Bill 2020

The Pre-Legislative Scrutiny meeting at 12.30pm in Committee Room 3 of Leinster House will be split into two sessions.

• 12.30-1pm – students from Tallaght Community School and Kinsale Community School;
• 1.10-2.30pm – representatives of CRAOL (Community Radio Ireland) and Independent Broadcasters of Ireland.

Committee Cathaoirleach Deputy Niamh Smyth said: “One of the key proposals of this far-reaching legislation is the appointment of an Online Safety Commissioner as part of a wider Media Commission to oversee the new regulatory framework for online safety. Members are delighted to welcome our student witnesses from Tallaght and Kinsale Community Schools to address the Committee. We want to hear their views on the Bill, particularly those parts that deal with online safety, as young people are often exposed to cruel and harmful cyber bulling. In our second session, we look forward to hearing from CRAOL and the IBI on this important legislation for the media sector.”

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 3 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.