Dáil Éireann Debate, Tuesday - 18 September 2018
84. Deputy Maureen O'Sullivan asked the Minister for Communications, Climate Action and Environment the way in which he plans to enhance digital safety for young persons online in view of recent reports; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [37511/18]
Amharc ar fhreagraThe Action Plan for Online Safety was launched by the Taoiseach on 11 July and contains 25 actions to be implemented by the six sponsor Departments over the next 12-18 months. These Departments are Children and Youth Affairs; Education and Skills; Business, Enterprise and Innovation; Justice and Equality; Health; and my own Department of Communications, Climate Action and Environment.
The implementation of the Action Plan will be overseen by a Sponsor's Group, to be chaired by the Department of Education and Skills. Each of the Sponsor Departments has responsibility for matters that fall within their remit, which follows the principle set out in the Plan that delineation of policy responsibility between Government Departments in relation to online issues operates on the basis that if a Department is responsible for a policy area offline, then it is responsible for that policy area - and any aspects of its implementation - online as well.
My Department will be contributing to the implementation of the actions contained within the plan by, amongst other actions: the implementation of the revisions to the Audiovisual Media Services Directive; establishing and providing the secretariat to the new National Advisory Council for Online Safety to be chaired by Minister of State Seán Kyne; working (along with the Departments of Justice and Equality and Business, Enterprise and Innovation) with the Joint Oireachtas Committee on Communications, Climate Action and Environment as it conducts its detailed scrutiny of the Digital Safety Commissioner Bill 2017; and publishing an annual safer internet report to coincide with Safer Internet Day.
