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

I thank the three Deputies for their very powerful and eloquent contributions on this challenging issue. It is appropriate and impressive that we have two members of the committee who put the report together and also a Deputy who is not a member of the committee. They have all demonstrated in-depth knowledge of the issues, and a genuine on the ground engagement with their constituents and their families, which will influence and impact the way the Government and the Oireachtas move together as a whole on this issue. They are very fine public representatives in this regard. It is very impressive to listen to them.

It is not always the case that when a committee produces a report, that topic is taken up by the Department of the Taoiseach and it comes back to us here as an action plan. The committee's work was a catalyst to ensure that happened. That is very significant. Although the action plan that comes back may not contain a way of implementing all the recommendations the committee has suggested, I assure Members that I know it was used as a primary resource for that action plan. That is also very significant.

I listened to the Deputies referring to some of the recommendations in the report as well as augmenting those recommendations with their own reflections since that time. I am sure the committee members will look at that plan using their expertise, taking a whole-of-Government approach, because that is what they did to produce the report. We could well use the committee members' wisdom, experience and analysis to respond to that action plan.

In my earlier exchange with Deputy Rabbitte on the issue, I indicated my view on the recommendations of having a digital safety commissioner. I welcome that as a strong and good way forward. I understand that the action plan that is coming forward will focus on bringing together what is done, finding ways across Departments to streamline that, but also to offer some real additionality. The Government will work with the Oireachtas Joint Committee on Communications, Climate Action and Environment on the Digital Safety Commissioner Bill introduced by Deputy Ó Laoghaire. Fianna Fáil has also advocated strongly for that. The Government did not oppose the Second Stage of that Bill. The action plan commits us to working on the Bill. There are many complexities in that regard.

While that is going on with the Taoiseach's action plan, we will put in place some additional actions for which certain Departments will be responsible. That will mean that while we look for significant legislative change, we can move towards the implementation of certain actions within the relevant Departments that will be guided by many of the policy recommendations outlined in the committee's report.

I am deeply grateful for that. I am very proud that this has come from the Oireachtas Joint Committee on Children and Youth Affairs, although the committee does not report to me. Rather, I report to it. The committee took on board that whole-of-Government approach. I well remember the day that I was there with my other Government colleagues. It is not very often that four different Ministers appear before a committee to answer to the committee, say what we are doing and listen to the committee members' analysis in light of the evidence they collected in preparing the report.

The Government will continue to play its full part in working in a cross-Government way, especially working with the committee in moving this very significant issue forward and beginning to implement new actions relatively soon in light of the committee's influence in getting the Department of the Taoiseach to put in place an action plan on the issue.

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