Sinéad Gibney (Dublin Rathdown, Social Democrats)

It is helpful to hear how much effort is going into the establishment of this office. I held two leadership roles in a State agency that is arguably the most independent. The national human rights institution in any jurisdiction is informed by the Paris Principles. We have to understand how that independence is going to be guaranteed in this instance. If the body originates from within the Department of enterprise, then I have concerns that conflicts exist which may create fundamental issues on the foundation of the organisation that will carry on into its future. It would be really helpful if the Department were to look at the Paris Principles and identify how we can ensure independence.

Across the State agency sector, which is where many competent bodies sit, we have varying levels of independence, of powers of reporting and so on. All of these regulatory functions are challenged by a lack of independence and inconsistency across those bodies. AI and what it is going to do to our society are such fundamental issues that we have to get this right from the outset. Rather than focus on speed, I want to ensure that we look for quality at the foundational level.

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