Mr. Liam Herrick:

This is something we have engaged in correspondence with the Department on. What is the function of the guidelines? They are not mandatory, but they are to remind public officials who are in key positions of procuring, designing or deploying artificial intelligence technology of the principles that they should bear in mind when they are doing that. The Government has regrettably chosen, in identifying the principles that should inform those choices, to not remind people about their obligations with regard to human rights and equality. That is a missed opportunity.

The Deputy is absolutely right; of course the Charter of Fundamental Rights applies to everything that happens in public administration in this country. There is a missed opportunity there. We want to instil in all public officials who are making key choices in this area an awareness that they must bear in mind principles of human rights and equality when they are doing so. Easy tools are available to the public sector to do that already. They are tools we have designed under the public sector and equality duty. I think it is a missed opportunity.