Results 5,741-5,760 of 10,445 for speaker:Niamh Smyth

Joint Committee on Tourism, Culture, Arts, Sport And Media: Business of Joint Committee (14 Jul 2021)

Niamh Smyth: I welcome my colleagues. We have a few formalities to deal with before we get into the interesting part of the meeting. I ask that the draft minutes of our public and private committee meetings on Wednesday, 30 June, and our public committee meeting on Wednesday, 7 July, are formally agreed as there are no matters arising. Is that agreed? Agreed.

Joint Committee on Tourism, Culture, Arts, Sport And Media: General Scheme of the Online Safety and Media Regulation Bill: Discussion (Resumed) (14 Jul 2021)

Niamh Smyth: I welcome our witness, Assistant Garda Commissioner John O'Driscoll, from the organised and serious crime unit of the Garda Síochána, who is attending remotely. The format of the meeting is that I will invite our witness to make an opening statement, which will be followed by questions from members of the committee. As he is probably aware, the committee may publish the opening...

Joint Committee on Tourism, Culture, Arts, Sport And Media: General Scheme of the Online Safety and Media Regulation Bill: Discussion (Resumed) (14 Jul 2021)

Niamh Smyth: I hope it is not a cyberattack.

Joint Committee on Tourism, Culture, Arts, Sport And Media: General Scheme of the Online Safety and Media Regulation Bill: Discussion (Resumed) (14 Jul 2021)

Niamh Smyth: I thank the assistant commissioner and Deputy Griffin for his question. I invite Senator Warfield to join the debate. He has five minutes and I thank him for his patience.

Joint Committee on Tourism, Culture, Arts, Sport And Media: General Scheme of the Online Safety and Media Regulation Bill: Discussion (Resumed) (14 Jul 2021)

Niamh Smyth: Does Senator Carrigy wish to come back in?

Joint Committee on Tourism, Culture, Arts, Sport And Media: General Scheme of the Online Safety and Media Regulation Bill: Discussion (Resumed) (14 Jul 2021)

Niamh Smyth: I wish to tease out further something that has been touched on by my colleagues. Many witnesses, organisations and groups have appeared before the committee over the last couple of months for our pre-legislative scrutiny on this topic, including the element of reporting, the steps taken by An Garda Síochána and how tangible these tech giants are in terms of accountability. We...

Joint Committee on Tourism, Culture, Arts, Sport And Media: General Scheme of the Online Safety and Media Regulation Bill: Discussion (Resumed) (14 Jul 2021)

Niamh Smyth: Can I stop you there?

Joint Committee on Tourism, Culture, Arts, Sport And Media: General Scheme of the Online Safety and Media Regulation Bill: Discussion (Resumed) (14 Jul 2021)

Niamh Smyth: I do not mean to be rude, but I am trying to get this clear in my head. What I am asking is not a reflection on An Garda Síochána. I am trying to elicit the agreeableness and the forthcomingness of the tech giants when the Garda has an issue and approaches them. I have been told that one will never get contact with Facebook, TikTok or Twitter immediately on the telephone to...

Joint Committee on Tourism, Culture, Arts, Sport And Media: General Scheme of the Online Safety and Media Regulation Bill: Discussion (Resumed) (14 Jul 2021)

Niamh Smyth: Exactly.

Joint Committee on Tourism, Culture, Arts, Sport And Media: General Scheme of the Online Safety and Media Regulation Bill: Discussion (Resumed) (14 Jul 2021)

Niamh Smyth: I am trying to establish how helpful the social media companies are. The Garda can only do so much. It needs willingness from the tech giants to give it the information that is required to enable it to follow through on its investigation. That is what I am trying to nail down. How willing to help are those companies? What can we, as legislators, do to progress that? The anecdotal...

Joint Committee on Tourism, Culture, Arts, Sport And Media: General Scheme of the Online Safety and Media Regulation Bill: Discussion (Resumed) (14 Jul 2021)

Niamh Smyth: There are challenges in terms of the constraints on the Garda under the legislation in place at the moment. The legislation does not provide for the flexibility the Garda needs to act in a more immediate way and force the tech giants to give it the information it needs.

Joint Committee on Tourism, Culture, Arts, Sport And Media: General Scheme of the Online Safety and Media Regulation Bill: Discussion (Resumed) (14 Jul 2021)

Niamh Smyth: I thank the assistant commissioner. That brings us neatly to the end of today's session. I thank the assistant commissioner most sincerely for his time and the preparation he put into his comprehensive presentation. His contributions very much assist us in the pre-legislative scrutiny work we are doing around this cyber and online regulation Bill.

Joint Committee on Tourism, Culture, Arts, Sport And Media: General Scheme of the Online Safety and Media Regulation Bill: Discussion (Resumed) (14 Jul 2021)

Niamh Smyth: This meeting has been convened in the context of the committee's continued pre-legislative scrutiny of the online safety and media regulation Bill 2020. I welcome Mr. Ciaran Moore, helpline manager with Samaritans Ireland, and his colleague, Ms Louise Hamra, policy manager for Samaritans Ireland. Both witnesses will be joining the meeting remotely via Microsoft Teams. The format of the...

Joint Committee on Tourism, Culture, Arts, Sport And Media: General Scheme of the Online Safety and Media Regulation Bill: Discussion (Resumed) (14 Jul 2021)

Niamh Smyth: I thank Ms Hamra and Senator Warfield. I call Deputy Mythen.

Joint Committee on Tourism, Culture, Arts, Sport And Media: General Scheme of the Online Safety and Media Regulation Bill: Discussion (Resumed) (14 Jul 2021)

Niamh Smyth: I thank Deputy Mythen. I call Mr. Moore.

Joint Committee on Tourism, Culture, Arts, Sport And Media: General Scheme of the Online Safety and Media Regulation Bill: Discussion (Resumed) (14 Jul 2021)

Niamh Smyth: I thank Ms Hamra. I think all my colleagues have had an opportunity now. I thank Mr. Moore and Ms Hamra for being with us today, making their presentations and comprehensively answering our questions. I wish to ask them a little about their explicit call for the measure to include or address the inappropriate display or prevalence of content with a risk of harm. Could Mr. Moore extrapolate...

Joint Committee on Tourism, Culture, Arts, Sport And Media: General Scheme of the Online Safety and Media Regulation Bill: Discussion (Resumed) (14 Jul 2021)

Niamh Smyth: That brings us to the conclusion of our meeting. I thank both witnesses for being with us, for their comprehensive presentation and for their willingness to share their thoughts and views. The next meeting of the joint committee will be held on Wednesday, 21 July, at 10 a.m. - a bit of an early start compared with our usual midday slot - when we will continue our pre-legislative scrutiny of...