Malcolm Byrne (Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

I thank the Minister of State for his response. I appreciate that the Data Protection Commission is a separate agency. My point is that this is about the potential threat to Ireland's reputation, and part of the issue is around the adequate resourcing of the Data Protection Commission, for which the Government is responsible. This will require a whole-of-government response around issues of artificial intelligence and algorithmic decision-making so there is a clear, consistent policy across the whole of Government but also a responsibility to ensure that our citizens are digitally literate. While I am not criticising the work the Data Protection Commission has done in this area, I do not think it is enough and it should not just fall within the Data Protection Commission's remit. I am particularly concerned, and would like an assurance, that the Government realises the potential reputational risk to Ireland if we are not able to oversee data regulation effectively, which we have an obligation to do, especially given the number of social media giants that are here.These will be huge issues to face over the coming decade and we need the Data Protection Commission to be properly resourced if we are to address them. How we respond, with regard to both the economic perspective and the protection of our citizens' data rights, needs to be central to Government thinking.