Leo Varadkar (Dublin West, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

First, with regard to digital skills, we believe it involves a number of approaches. Obviously there is upskilling of people already in the workplace. That is important to ensure they can continue to have jobs into the future and that companies embrace the digital economy. That is done through a number of existing mechanisms. Sometimes it is fully funded by the Government and sometimes businesses have to make a contribution. A great deal of learning is happening in schools. Children in primary and secondary schools are getting a good digital education and I am impressed when I visit schools around the country to see the extent to which technology is being integrated into schools, particularly primary schools. Deputies will be aware that computer science is now an examination subject in the leaving certificate examination for the first time.

There is also the future jobs programme. Last week, we took the first steps in developing that programme, which anticipates the reality that the world of work will look very different in the next couple of decades. People will not have a job for life, and most people will have two or three different careers in the course of their lives. Many jobs that currently exist will not exist in the future and many jobs that we have not even imagined will exist. Changes such as automation, augmented reality, virtual reality, robotics and so forth will fundamentally change the world of work. Autonomous driving is one example. Between 10% and 16% of men in this country drive for a living in some way or other. If we replace buses, trains, taxis and trucks with autonomous vehicles we will have to find new jobs for the people who currently drive those vehicles. The future jobs programme is all about that.

In terms of encouraging greater use of online Government services, a healthy digital Government is fundamentally connected with the wider digital health of a country. We have made substantial progress in increased delivery of high quality online public services. For example, we have centralised portals for communications and services, gov.ie and MyGovId.ie. We also continue to work on improving the citizen experience and promoting the uptake of online activities. The national digital strategy will help to raise awareness and highlight the benefits of engaging with online Government services.

On the issue of the digital divide and digital engagement, increased digitalisation is going to change Ireland and the world with or without policy action. We cannot stem the tide but we can determine how to embrace digitalisation positively for the benefit of every citizen, business and community in Ireland. To this end we are working to develop a strategy that is collaborative and is developed in partnership with citizens and stakeholders. The public consultation is very important and that is why continuing engagement with stakeholders in all sectors of society will be a hallmark of the strategy's development. There will be a focus in the strategy on trust, society and inclusion. We are putting the well-being of citizens at the heart of the strategy. Digitalisation presents us not only with challenges but also profound opportunities. Digital Government services, for example, offer the chance of more equality and efficiency in how our public services are administered.

Regarding digital protection and digital safety, the general data protection regulation, GDPR, came into effect on 25 May last. We enacted the Data Protection Act 2018 which gives effect to limited areas of flexibility under GDPR before this date. Ireland is among a small group of member states to meet the deadline. Since GDPR came into effect the Data Protection Commissioner has seen a rise in data breach notifications, which are now obligatory. In addition, the Date Protection Commission is already seeing numerous major difficult cross-border complaints being transferred to it under the EU one-stop-shop model. There are several significant data protection cases before the Irish and European courts, as well as other cases that might end up before the courts. Whatever the outcome, the Government will continue to comply with GDPR as it evolves. Funding for the Data Protection Commission is €15.2 million for next year, which represents a 30% increase on the 2018 allocation and an eight-fold increase since 2014.

On the issue of a digital safety commissioner, many stakeholders have called for the establishment of such a commissioner. Last February the Government did not oppose the passing on Second Stage of Deputy Ó Laoghaire's Private Members' Bill which seeks to establish the office of a digital safety commissioner. The Bill has been referred to the joint committee by the Oireachtas. The action plan for online safety covers a range of activities relevant to the proposed office of the digital safety commissioner, including education, awareness raising, communicating with the public, oversight and consultative structures. Action 18 of the plan commits the Government to working with the joint committee on the Bill in this regard and the Minister attended a meeting of the joint committee on 25 October last during detailed scrutiny of the Bill. At that meeting the Minister said that if the Oireachtas is to pass the legislation we must ensure we get it right and that it is robust, effective and meets the urgent public policy need to protect all online users, particularly children.

The Minister, Deputy Bruton, has now requested legal advice from the Attorney General on the legal issues the Bill presents, most notably the lack of a definition of what "harmful digital communications" are and proposals in the Bill that would apply extra-territorially, which could be difficult. However, we are committed to working with the committee and the Deputy to resolve these deficiencies in the legislation.

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