Malcolm Byrne (Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

These are interesting amendments. It is my view that when the commission is appointed we should be really proud of them because they are going to be among the most powerful regulators in the State as they will oversee this work. The board should reflect diversity. I am always cautious about naming too many groups and trying to match them up. The board needs a wide variety of expertise, which relates to the earlier point on the online safety commissioner that there should be someone with specific expertise. In terms of amendment No. 39 I would certainly support that at least one of the members should have an expertise in the area of online safety. I would add, because there is always a fear that it will get lost, that having experience in broadcasting as one of the specific areas would be particularly important. Yes, one of the areas should be digital empowerment but I am not sure about data protection. Perhaps data protection is more appropriate with the Data Protection Commission in terms of experience and responsibility but I think that can be teased out.

The Minister will be aware, in terms of appointments to the boards of RTÉ and the Broadcasting Authority of Ireland, that it is more clearly specified as to the levels of experience and knowledge that those appointees are expected to have, and their backgrounds. The principle of this can be explored in more detail. We can look at how to ensure a very diverse commission yet at the same time get the seven best people who have a broad range of experience and knowledge so they can, as a collective body, contribute because we want a regulatory body that is effective.

There is a dispute about whether there should be seven commissioners. Having seven minds working around a table on these core issues is better than one. My comment speaks to the point made about the fact that there is only one Data Protection Commissioner as opposed to a series of them and I know that is a separate debate. We need to think about, when this commission is up and running and when the recruitment process is taking place, what the advertisement will say and identify as the core criteria. The RTÉ and BAI legislation could provide the basis for some of this discussion but my key concern is that whatever we do we ensure that we get the best people on the board.