Oireachtas Joint and Select Committees
Thursday, 13 May 2021
Joint Committee on Media, Tourism, Arts, Culture, Sport and the Gaeltacht
General Scheme of the Online Safety and Media Regulation Bill 2020: Discussion (Resumed)
Ms Alex Cooney:
Yes, briefly. On the first question about resourcing the Garda, I echo Ms Jennings's point. We hear very inconsistent reports from members of the public about reporting, for example, bullying cases, to the Garda and the advice they receive. Training and supports are definitely required, especially for the gardaí who are dealing with the complaints as they come in, to ensure that much more consistent advice and support are given and, hopefully, there is the opportunity to minimise harm to a child.
I also echo Ms Jennings's comments on the second point. We would be very concerned if the online safety aspects of this Bill were moved out in order to wait for the Digital Services Act to come in. That would be an unnecessary delay.
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