Oireachtas Joint and Select Committees

Wednesday, 21 February 2018

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Children and Youth Affairs

Cybersecurity for Children and Young Adults: Discussion (Resumed)

9:00 am

Photo of Denis NaughtenDenis Naughten (Roscommon-Galway, Independent)
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In answer to the question as to who has responsibility for online safety, at the moment it crosses six Departments. Four of the Ministers are represented here. There is agreement that issues relating to the criminal justice area should and must remain with the Department of Justice and Equality and An Garda Síochána. I do not think there is any dispute in that regard.

As the Deputy knows, I have been progressing the issue of the digital safety commissioner. We had an open forum on foot of which a Government action plan will be developed. That will be presented and approved by Government. I am sure it will be discussed here at the committee. As part of that a lead Department will have to be appointed to that. That has not been appointed yet. Our Department has taken the lead on the open policy debate and we have facilitated the engagement up to now. That comes back to the Internet content governance advisory group report.