Catherine Martin (Dublin Rathdown, Green Party) | Oireachtas source

It is exactly for all of those reasons that I have established this expert group to examine the proposals. There are significant complex legal and practical issues in this area. For example, in the constitutional and legal context, there is the complexity of upholding fundamental rights and respecting due process requirements for complainants, online services and the uploaders of content that is the subject of a complaint. I direct the Deputy to the binding codes and the real teeth this commissioner will have. Provision is to be made for fines of up to €20 million or 10% of turnover, whichever is greater, for criminal liability for those involved, search warrants and the blocking of platforms.

Within the expert advisory group, I hope to have the legal expertise required, particularly with regard to complexities of regulating the online world; knowledge of, and expertise in, the operation of complaints systems in other regulatory contexts; experience in the protection of children's rights in an online environment; and knowledge of, and expertise in, the practical requirements, such as resourcing an organisation required to operate an individual complaints system. That is what I hope to have in this expert group.

See this speech in context