Malcolm Byrne (Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

I thank Ms Quill and Mr. Shanley for their work on this to date. They can understand the frustration of my colleagues. I would worry if this Bill were to come before the Oireachtas before we have concluded our prelegislative scrutiny. Many of the key issues we are debating will end up being debated on the floor of the Dáil and Seanad. There are still a number of fundamental issues we have to resolve. As Senator Cassells said, part of what is crucial for us is the question of the timetable. I appreciate the point Ms Quill made about the urgency with respect to infringement proceedings. It begs the question, and I am not saying I am in favour of this, of whether there should have been two items of legislation, one to transpose the directive and a broader item of legislation. We are setting up a new regulatory agency, which has the potential to be one of the most powerful regulatory agencies in the State. I have no doubt that after we do it, we will be constantly introducing amending legislation as technology develops and as the digital services Act and the digital markets Act at EU level are considered. It is important to have a discussion on that and on the timeframe. I ask Ms Quill to bring that back to the Minister.

Some of the key questions in a number of the big debates on the directive are on the content levy. The witnesses have been tuned into the debates we have had. Has the Department formed a view based on our discussions on the Bill that will be presented to us? Where will the content levy feature as part of that? What kind of model may be proposed in the legislation?

A second aspect is the big element with respect to the establishment of the media commission. We have had a debate on the appointment of an online safety commissioner. As the witnesses will be aware, a number of us have suggested the appointment of an online safety commissioner on a non-statutory basis to get the office up and running. We are all concerned about addressing the online harm issues. What is the view of the Department in that regard? The officials will have listened to our discussions to date. If the Department is proposing to bring forward a Bill, they will be aware of some of the concerns and issues that we as a committee have not even settled. For instance, has a view been formed on the establishment of an individual complaints mechanism and on what threshold will be used in those circumstances? If it is proposed to bring forward a Bill when we as a committee have not even formulated the recommendations we will make, can Ms Quill outline what is likely to appear in that Bill with regard to those issues?