James O'Connor (Cork East, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

I thank the Minister of State for his informed response. I welcome that the legislation will provide for the establishment of a multi-person media commission. It is important that we realise we are living in an extraordinarily different time in terms of how people consume media and information. It is timely and perhaps a little bit behind time that the State is starting a body of work in this area. Urgency must be shown in this regard. Unfortunately, many younger people are susceptible to potential misinformation through forms of social media. It is quite concerning. We need to bring in regulations and safety mechanisms and put an individual in place to examine that work and issues that may arise.

Could the Minister of State give us a little bit more information about the hiring process? Is anything available to the House in that regard in the context of where we are after coming though a very difficult two years? I urge the Minister of State to get down to the body of work that it is ahead of him, because it is important that it happens.

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