Joint Committee on Tourism, Culture, Arts, Sport and Media to discuss balance of rights in Online Safety and Media Regulation Bill 2020 with stakeholders

The meeting at 12.30pm in Committee Room 3 of Leinster House will be split into two sessions:

·         12.30-1.10pm – Representatives from the Irish Human Rights and Equality Commission (IHREC);

·         1.15-2.30pm – Representatives from the Irish Council for Civil Liberties (ICCL) and representatives from Digital Rights Ireland (DRI).

Committee Cathaoirleach Deputy Niamh Smyth said: “This Bill balances the protection of a number of rights laid out in the Constitution, including the right to freedom of expression, the right to communicate and the right to privacy. A number of concerns have been raised in relation to definitions and designations contained in the Bill, particularly in the areas of online services, harmful content and media regulation.

“The Committee looks forward to discussing these and other matters in relation to the General Scheme with the representatives of IHREC, ICCL and DRI as we continue our detailed scrutiny of this legislation.”

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 Tourism, Culture, Arts, Sport and Media 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.