Dr. Karen McAuley:

I thank the Senator for his question. As he knows, the digital age of consent is provided for under the Data Protection Act. There is an attendant provision within that Act to the effect that the age will be reviewed three years after coming into effect. Therefore, there is an obligation to have a review of the current digital age of consent. Based on the timeline, that should be initiated this month. We have not heard any details on when it is going to start but, under the legislation, it should be initiated this month. We look forward to the discussion and associated developments. It will be interesting to see the extent to which the digital age of consent, set at 16 in Ireland, has been monitored and evaluated in terms of its impact. We believe that is important in order to support and strengthen the debate on the issue.

On the question on the relationship between the digital age of consent and this legislation, I am not sure I have an answer. Suffice it to say that ultimately the digital age of consent is in our GDPR and Data Protection Act as a protective measure. It is one of several measures related to acknowledging the additional vulnerability of children and the need for special measures to ensure their protection. In that respect, there may be a connection. In this Bill and in that measure, we are seeking to protect children.