Malcolm Byrne (Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

I will raise again the need for a debate on how technology is changing the world of work and, indeed, all aspects of our lives. I do so in a couple of contexts. The Leader will be aware of the testimony of Frances Haugen before the US Congress. She is the Facebook whistleblower who revealed a number of things many of us have heard about Facebook and some of the other social media companies. It is very clearly the case that Facebook has put company above country and, in many ways, above ethics. I raised this issue previously. It will come before these Houses in the context of the discussion on the online safety and media regulation Bill, the debate on the need for greater transparency, the need to ensure these social media companies are properly regulated and, when it comes to algorithmic decision-making, the need for us to have clear policies in place. I want to make it clear that I expect the legislation that will be brought forward by the Government will be sufficiently strong and we will have an online safety commissioner with real teeth. If we do not, I will have a problem supporting the legislation. We need to address some of the underlying issues, which pose some of the greatest threats to society and to our democracy.

It is also important we have a broader debate on the changes to the world of work, post pandemic. I have also raised this issue previously, but in the context of the skills shortages we are now experiencing, while there are many excellent initiatives through Springboard and others, we are seeing such rapid changes that we need to look at how we upskill and reskill all our citizens to be able to avail of those. I ask that the Minister for Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science, Deputy Simon Harris, comes before the House to discuss how we are going to prepare for the future of the world of work.