Katherine Zappone (Dublin South West, Independent) | Oireachtas source

I very much welcome the opportunity to speak to the House today on the important subject of cybersafety. At the outset, I welcome the excellent work done by the joint committee in preparing its report on cybersafety. It was timely when it was done and it is timely now. I appreciate and was aware of the great commitment, dynamism and passion of members of the committee and the ways in which it worked together and with other groups and those whom it brought in to speak and to provide evidence, especially the young people.

I know that members invested significant time and effort in studying this topic and in developing a series of recommended actions. I am aware that the committee took into account the recommendations of the Internet Content Governance Advisory Group in producing its report. Reference was made a couple of times to the Law Reform Commission.

The issue of safety for children engaging in online activity presents a very serious challenge. Protecting children from online abuse, bullying, grooming and sites with harmful content requires a whole-of-Government approach. Given the cross-departmental nature of this issue, the Department of the Taoiseach is currently developing an action plan on online safety involving all relevant Departments. The Taoiseach, in addressing the open policy debate on online safety, held in March, committed to the preparation of such a plan by the end of June. It will set out an integrated set of measures to ensure we support online safety at all levels. That was taking up part of the character of the committee's report in terms of encouraging a sense of urgency in regard to the Government.

Preparation of the action plan is well advanced, with six Departments, all with responsibilities in this area, working on a collaborative basis to ensure a robust, whole-of-Government approach to the issue of online safety. The objective is to ensure our collective actions are co-ordinated, complementary and robust. The work of the committee will help to shape the Government's approach to dealing with this issue. Deputies will appreciate that I do not have lead ministerial policy responsibility in this area and in the circumstances I do not propose to respond directly to the recommendations in the report. I do, however, have significant responsibilities and an important contribution to make in ensuring that the Internet is a safer place for children. In this context, Deputies will be aware that the Children First Act 2015 places a number of statutory obligations on organisations providing relevant services to children. These obligations include a requirement to keep children safe from harm while they are availing of services, a requirement to carry out a risk assessment and a requirement to prepare a child safeguarding statement that sets out the policies and procedures in place to mitigate these risks.

If a relevant service is allowing children access to the Internet where they could become exposed to harm, including harm of assault or sexual abuse, as set out in section 2 of the Act, there is an obligation on the service provider to ensure the risk is identified and that the policies and procedures that are in place to manage the risk are set out in the child safeguarding statement. Chapter 4 of the Children First guidance provides guidance for relevant service providers on preparing risk assessments and child safeguarding statements. It defines a risk assessment as an exercise where an organisation examines all aspects of its service from a safeguarding perspective to establish whether there are any practices or features of the services that have the potential to put children at risk.

While this includes the risk of harm as a result of access to the Internet, this is not currently explicitly stated in the guidance. In order to clarify the issue, my Department will be amending the Children First guidance to include a specific reference to the need to consider online safety when conducting risk assessments and preparing child safeguarding statements. In addition, we will be consulting Tusla to ensure that the template for the completion of the child safeguarding statement also includes a specific reference to the need to consider online safety. It is my responsibility to ensure that the voices of children and young people are heard and acted upon when we make decisions on Internet safety.

My Department undertakes and supports a wide range of consultation and participation processes with children and young people. These include the development of structures to enable such participation in decision-making by children and young people. Such structures include both Dáil na nÓg and Comhairle na nÓg. The joint Oireachtas committee met groups of young people from Comhairle na nÓg from counties Clare and Wicklow as part of its work. Deputy Kate O'Connell, on behalf of Deputy Farrell, has already referred to the committee's work. I was pleased and heartened to see colleagues take the time to listen to what young people have to say. It is through such engagement that we can learn and find solutions that work. I met some members after the meeting and realise how engaging and meaningful it was for them. They were extraordinarily receptive to the young people.

Consultation work undertaken by Wicklow Comhairle na nÓg resulted in a charter on cyberbullying, as referred to by Deputy Kate O'Connell. This charter makes requests of us all. It asks that we have a plan for dealing with cyberbullying and that we protect young people, their rights and their well-being. The charter also speaks to bullies, to those being bullied, to bystanders and to all young people. While this initiative is local to County Wicklow, the message coming from young people has much wider application. The learning is that technology, per se, is not the problem; rather, people's behaviour is the problem.

I know that the committee also met Clare Comhairle na nÓg and heard of the successful initiative with McAfee that has resulted in a cybersafety programme. Reference was made to how the programme is being rolled out through Clare Youth Service and other Youth Work Ireland regions. These initiatives, developed by young people, are real examples of a global and universal problem finding local solutions, generated and owned by young people themselves. No doubt, they are looking for innovative ways to ensure that what they advocate will be followed by their friends and colleagues and others.

My Department also provides funding to three national youth organisations that provide online safety resources for the youth sector. The National Youth Council of Ireland provides the web safety in youth work resource for young people; SpunOut, Ireland's youth information website, has developed an online safety hub that provides guidelines for young people on online safety; and Youth Work Ireland, in conjunction with McAfee Security, has developed a digital safety programme that highlights the risks associated with online activity.

As we know, the Internet is not age-bound. The risks and dangers apply to people of all ages. Children, however, are particularly vulnerable and need greater protection. This is why I welcome the work of the committee and the report. The challenges are not just for the Government; they are for all of society. There is also a role for parents and for industry and each must play its part. Parents are crucial actors in helping to ensure that children are safe online and particularly in establishing and maintaining ongoing open communication with their children so that where risks arise, children feel able to discuss them with their parents. The Government recognises the importance of the provision of reliable information to parents to equip them in supporting children's safety online, and this will be reflected in the forthcoming action plan for online safety.

Strengthening and consolidating information, support and services will be a key focus for the Department in the coming years and I will be outlining steps in that regard in the forthcoming early years strategy. The Internet operates across borders so the challenges we meet often arise from decisions taken outside our jurisdiction. Some solutions are outside our control but we have the advantage that many of the world's leading technology companies have a significant corporate presence here in Ireland. They can and must work with the Government in making the Internet a safer place. We need a truly joined-up approach in addressing the issue of cybersafety. The committee pointed this out. Dealing with the criminal behaviour associated with the Internet is a matter for the Department of Justice and Equality. Facilitating technology is the responsibility of the Department of Communications, Climate Action and Environment. The Department of Education and Skills plays a valuable role in regard to Internet safety in schools. The Department of Health has a particular interest through mental health and well-being services, and the Department of Business, Enterprise and Innovation has responsibilities regarding industry and e-commerce. I am fully committed to playing my part in a co-ordinated cross-Government approach to dealing with this issue, particularly as it relates to children.

I acknowledge again the excellent work of the committee and can assure the House that the findings and recommendations in its report will be taken into account as part of the work being done by the Taoiseach's office in preparing a national action plan on online safety. As I stated, that plan is at an advanced stage of preparation.

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