Niamh Smyth (Cavan-Monaghan, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

l thank the Taoiseach for meeting us. I chair the Joint Committee on Tourism, Culture, Arts, Sport and Media. The big issue for our committee is the publication of the Future of Media Commission's report. Its publication is extremely important on a number of levels, not least for our public service broadcasters and for the print and online media at local, national and regional level as they face major challenges from new global platforms and changing audience preferences in how content is delivered. That Future of Media Commission launched a public consultation in December 2020 and received inputs in the form of more than 800 submissions. It held a series of thematic dialogues which was very important and it was great that happened. From the committee’s point of view, this issue is of great importance. As the Taoiseach will be aware, we spent months upon months dealing with the pre-legislative scrutiny of the Online Safety and Media Regulation Bill. There is considerable concern among not only committee members but also the stakeholders we have heard from about the future of public service broadcasting, public service content and regulation, and, more importantly, with regard to broadcasting, Internet content and the funding of public service broadcasters. In the background to all of that, we know the impact that has had on democracy, disinformation and media literacy.

As stated, we spent months dealing with the pre-legislative scrutiny of the Bill. We met the stakeholders but all the time we, as a committee, have felt we were doing this with one arm tied behind our backs. In order words, in a vacuum of not having that report. We cannot move forward. I know it is with the Taoiseach and the Minister, Deputy Catherine Martin. I understand that there are big decisions to be made. What I hope to elicit from the Taoiseach today is a date for the publication of this report. It is extremely important. I take this opportunity to make three earnest requests of the Taoiseach when the Government establishes this commission. The first is that it would be fully resourced. The second it is that it would have real legal teeth. I have felt some pushback from the Department in this regard. If the commission does not have an individual complaint mechanism in place, it will be futile. I would ask the Taoiseach to ensure that is part of it.