Pearse Doherty (Donegal, Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

I welcome the Tánaiste's comments but clarity does not come from speeches, it comes from legislation. The problem is that there has not been collective work on this. Deputy Ó Laoghaire produced a Bill. We are willing to have it strengthened by anybody and everybody. Let us get this right and bring all the ideas together. The Bill has gone through pre-legislative scrutiny. Deputy Ó Laoghaire has asked the Minister to sit down with him and discuss the Bill. The Minister has not even responded.

I have approached this matter from the point of view that in this House we have the collective wisdom, ability and motivation to get this right. We have a Bill that is at an advanced stage. We are open to dealing with all and hearing the various views on how to strengthen it. That is possible. There is a committee dealing with that legislation. Let us use that and if we cannot, let us set up a committee on online digital safety and take all the views together so that we get this right.

The Tánaiste is right to say there is an international aspect to this but the State has failed to ratify the Budapest Convention. The latter would give gardaí more powers in respect of online safety, access to data and so on, particularly in the context of child pornography.

I have asked two specific questions from the point of view that I have already introduced legislation and worked with the Minister to get it over the line and we have another Bill that we are working on with the Minister to do likewise. Let us do the same with this Bill. We have wasted 18 months. The Tánaiste stated that there is a public consultation process but that finished two months ago and the report relating to it has not been published. Is the Tánaiste open to allowing the Bill progress and letting us take everyone's feedback on board? Is he open to the establishment of an all-party committee on online safety in order that we might take an inclusive approach to this matter?

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