Mary Ann O'Brien (Independent) | Oireachtas source

I welcome the discussion on this EU directive. I do not wish to make an open reference to the forthcoming referendum, but I will point out that this is a perfect example of a matter that needs attention and serious discussion in the Oireachtas. This is not the first time this directive has been discussed in this Chamber. I would guess that the amount of time we have spent on it is greatly in excess of that spent on it in the Dáil. My group colleague, Senator van Turnhout, has done a great deal of work in this area. As we all know, she has been constantly trying to put the topic on the political agenda. She published a superb report yesterday after doing some excellent work with senior officials. Basically, she has built a motorway of information that we can use. I commend her on that.

All of us will agree with the Senator that the protection of children is paramount. We must do everything to keep our own children and all children safe from this most brutal abuse. I join other Senators in asking the Minister of State to ensure the Government deals with this matter with greater urgency. Like Senator van Turnhout, I am pleading for this legislation to be acted on immediately. I would like it to have A1 status, rather than C status. I would be most grateful if the Minister of State could bring that request back to his senior colleague.

In the limited time available to me in this brief contribution, I would like to look at the issue of blocking and everything it entails. I am aware that I am straying from the directive slightly. I am keen to get the Minister of State's thoughts on the announcement by the British Government earlier this summer that it intends to attempt to block or limit online access to hard pornography from the start of next year. This links in with the issue we are discussing. Under the proposed new system, all British Internet users will have to state whether they want to receive pornography through their Internet connections. They will have to indicate whether they want to have the family-friendly filters on their accounts switched on. If filters are enabled, all pornographic images will be unable to be viewed. The filters will be applied to all existing accounts and new accounts at the start of next year as standard. Account holders will have to tell their Internet providers that they wish to have the filters turned off. Filters will also be put in place on all mobile device accounts as well as public Wi-Fi. All pornography streamed online will be subject to the same standards as pornography sold over the counter. In practical terms, this means that violent and abusive pornography, and scenes depicting rape, will be blocked. The Internet search providers will be responsible for blocking this type of material. The UK authorities will get enhanced access to networks to monitor the creation and spread of child abuse pornography.

As Senators will recall, I raised this issue before the summer recess when I called on the Government to examine the measure being introduced in the UK to see whether it could be introduced here. Having spoken to parents of children as young as nine, I firmly believe the lack of regulations governing online pornography is having a negative impact on the emotional development of thousands of children, and this will remain with them until adulthood. Right now, a child somewhere in this country is viewing these images, potentially damaging his or her development as a human being. A skewed impression of sex is being beamed into children's houses, or perhaps more worryingly their bedrooms. To put it bluntly, our children are being stripped of their innocence and we are standing idly by.

I was interested to hear the worrying details that Senator Hayden learned from an eminent person in Cambridge. As part of the Lisbon treaty, we have pledged to contribute €17.3 million to the European space programme this year. When I listened to the Senator, it was clear to me that serious funding is needed in this area if we are to have sufficient expertise and step up to the mark. Senator Conway said we should lead the way in this regard by going far beyond what is proposed in this directive. A great deal of work needs to be done. As Senator van Turnhout said, it is not good enough to say that it cannot be blocked or that nothing can be done. I thank Senator Leyden for blinding me with science and pointing out what can be done.