Results 41-60 of 10,711 for speaker:Niamh Smyth

Written Answers — Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment: EU Directives (15 Jul 2025)

Niamh Smyth: I propose to take Questions Nos. 427 and 428 together. Following negotiations over a series of meetings, the Polish Presidency achieved a Coreper mandate on 23 June 2025 for future negotiations with the European Parliament on the content aspect of the Omnibus I proposal. Ireland has sought to play a constructive role in these negotiations. I welcome the progress made to date on the...

Written Answers — Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment: Corporate Governance (15 Jul 2025)

Niamh Smyth: I propose to take Questions Nos. 429, 430 and 431 together. The Corporate Enforcement Authority was established on the 7 July 2022. Under the Companies Act 2014, the CEA is independent in the performance of its functions. The CEA’s functions under the Companies Act 2014 include:promoting compliance with company lawinvestigating instances of suspected breaches of company lawtaking...

Written Answers — Department of Health: Hospital Facilities (15 Jul 2025)

Niamh Smyth: 969. To ask the Minister for Health if she will examine issues raised in correspondence (details supplied) regarding access to sensory rooms in hospitals; if she will outline the sensory-friendly facilities currently available in County Cavan, in tabular form; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [39451/25]

Written Answers — Department of Children, Disability and Equality: Disabilities Assessments (10 Jul 2025)

Niamh Smyth: 311. To ask the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality to review a referral for an autism assessment (details supplied); and if she will make a statement on the matter. [38606/25]

Written Answers — Department of Health: Medical Aids and Appliances (10 Jul 2025)

Niamh Smyth: 391. To ask the Minister for Health if she will consider the availability of the FreeStyle Libre glucose monitoring system available under the drugs payment scheme for people with type 2 diabetes who use insulin; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [38638/25]

Transparency for Supermarket Profits: Motion [Private Members] (9 Jul 2025)

Niamh Smyth: It is not profit, it is turnover. There is a big difference.

Transparency for Supermarket Profits: Motion [Private Members] (9 Jul 2025)

Niamh Smyth: I move amendment No. 1: To delete all words after " Dáil Éireann" and substitute the following: "notes that the Government; — recognises concerns with regards to the rising cost of groceries and the financial pressure on households; — shares the commitment to ensuring fairness, transparency, and competition in the retail sector; and — are actively...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Social Welfare Benefits (9 Jul 2025)

Niamh Smyth: 102. To ask the Minister for Employment Affairs and Social Protection to expedite an application by a person (details supplied) for domiciliary care allowance; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [37953/25]

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Artificial Intelligence: Introduction to Artificial Intelligence: Discussion (Resumed) (8 Jul 2025)

Niamh Smyth: I thank my colleagues for being here today for the first session of the week. I appreciate them all being here. I compliment the Chair on the state-of-the-nation hearings he has done so far. I have listened to bits and pieces of some of them, but I admire the approach the committee has taken on the three modular pieces regarding AI. It is really critical because it goes to the heart of...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Artificial Intelligence: Introduction to Artificial Intelligence: Discussion (Resumed) (8 Jul 2025)

Niamh Smyth: The Digital Services Act is one of those opportunities for Ireland in terms of the protection of our citizens online. The Senator is specifically asking about the business piece. I will come back to her on that. I might get one of my officials to answer her specifically on that, if that is all right?

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Artificial Intelligence: Introduction to Artificial Intelligence: Discussion (Resumed) (8 Jul 2025)

Niamh Smyth: As we have seen in recent days, the Central Bank has had an interesting couple of weeks with its own sandbox and how it is extrapolating fintech in terms of its development as a piece of technology that helps our online banking and protects our citizens along the way. Our own sandbox is intended to provide certainty for start-up companies. The sandbox will be devised as an entity to give...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Artificial Intelligence: Introduction to Artificial Intelligence: Discussion (Resumed) (8 Jul 2025)

Niamh Smyth: The EU Presidency will provide a wonderful platform to every Department, but particularly to this one, to demonstrate that Ireland takes a rules-based approach and that it is not the wild west when it comes to AI any more than it was for the social media companies. The Senator raised competitiveness. The Minister, Deputy Burke, and I are working on including AI and the sandbox in the...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Artificial Intelligence: Introduction to Artificial Intelligence: Discussion (Resumed) (8 Jul 2025)

Niamh Smyth: There is a great opportunity. We saw President Macron did exactly that during the AI summit. I think all member states looked at that and thought it would be wonderful to do. I think that as well. It is really important that we work in collaboration with tech companies. They want to work with us in a collaborative way to ensure they are working within the rules-based and risk-based...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Artificial Intelligence: Introduction to Artificial Intelligence: Discussion (Resumed) (8 Jul 2025)

Niamh Smyth: I will just put a caveat on that. I may not have all the answers, but I will attempt to give all the answers. For anything I cannot answer, with the assistance of my officials, I will come back to members, as I will to the Senator on his first question.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Artificial Intelligence: Introduction to Artificial Intelligence: Discussion (Resumed) (8 Jul 2025)

Niamh Smyth: It is a challenge. Having engaged quite a bit with my officials at this point, Ireland is probably ahead of the other 26 member states, in having everything in place to enact the legislation and to ensure that we have the enforcement element ready to do the policing of AI across the board. This is not to say that it is not challenging; of course it is. I know that the officials in the...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Artificial Intelligence: Introduction to Artificial Intelligence: Discussion (Resumed) (8 Jul 2025)

Niamh Smyth: Overall for AI, I am very excited by the opportunity for the highly-skilled jobs that it can provide. Ireland has had a strong academia-led approach to developing AI talent. Over the past five years, Research Ireland has committed to spending of nearly €200 million on AI research. The majority of this funding goes to centres for research and training. There is huge investment in...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Artificial Intelligence: Introduction to Artificial Intelligence: Discussion (Resumed) (8 Jul 2025)

Niamh Smyth: If the Senator were to ask my officials, the first answer he would get is that we are not sufficiently resourced. We would always like to have more money, but the budget is coming and I will certainly be making the case for resourcing a new national AI office to the Minsters, Deputies Chambers and Donohoe, and that the Department should be ready for that. Are we prepared at a granular...