Lorraine Higgins (Labour) | Oireachtas source

I thank the Minister for his response. I accept that cyberbullying issues will always straddle various Departments. However, I am suggesting having one dedicated task force.

While enacting law in the area is one thing, it is essential to have awareness and education. I recently spoke to a number of teenagers at an event. They did not have a clue as to whether they were cyberbullying and it took a long time to get that point through to them. The number of gardaí, students, teachers and parents, who have contacted me since I came out and spoke publicly about my experience, proves that this is a very serious issue. At least three young people have told me they are self-harming as a consequence of the online bullying in their lives. With due respect, the issue needs to be addressed with urgency. The Department needs to act as swiftly as possible as soon as the report from the cross-departmental group becomes available.