Darren O'Rourke (Meath East, Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

The issue of commencement has been raised. From reading the legislation, I believe the Minister has, as usual, discretion regarding the commencement of various sections. Is there ongoing engagement with telecommunications companies? Obviously, a whole new regime will be brought into play. Will there be advance notice? I presume there will be significant new regulatory and administrative responsibilities for the organisations. I refer to considerations concerning IT capacity, personnel and recruitment. Could the Minister of State give me a sense of the ongoing engagement and the notice the organisations will be given before the new regime kicks in? I realise they stated publicly that they were looking for 90 days' grace or notice. Could the Minister of State address that issue in the interest of the regime being implemented as efficiently and smoothly as possible?