Micheál Carrigy (Longford-Westmeath, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

The Minister and the Minister of State are very welcome. I was listening in online and I welcome comments by the Minister pertaining to theatre and drama groups and looking at providing funding for community centres that host so many events throughout the country. We have seen groups out fund-raising to put on shows. A huge amount of time has been put in by the people who are working in all of these voluntary organisations. In my county we have the St. Mel's Music Society and the Evolution Stage School variety group, which provide endless entertainment. It is only proper that they are supported or any of those venues where they host their shows are supported, similar to the sports capital funding. I welcome those comments.

I also welcome what the Minister said just in the past few minutes. The issue is about the safety of the child first. This is what has to be the priority. I have done significant work on this. Deputy Malcolm Byrne and I were members of the media committee in the previous Dáil. We worked on the Online Safety and Media Regulation Act, along with a number of officials with the Minister today. Ultimately it is about protecting our children. That has to be the priority. We should have inserted a minimum age into that Act. Deputy Byrne and I tabled an amendment on this to the Bill but it was not accepted based on what we were told, which was "Let us wait too see what the EU will do". We should not wait; we should just go ahead and do it. As the parent of young kids, and given what I see happening and what I am listening to from other parents, we should have had this done before now. I ask Coimisiún na Meán, the Minister and the Department to consider that we need to do it to ultimately protect our children. That has to be one of the top priorities, not just of this committee but of Government, because of the effect we see it has on children every day of the week. Will the Minister comment on that first?