Malcolm Byrne (Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

I welcome that and I appreciate the concern. However, that is precisely the intention behind the amendment. I worry that if time elapses there may be other reasons that committees are needed. There may be a need to set up a committee on, for instance, how one deals with broadcasting in the metaverse in the future. The core reasons that this commission is being set up are to address the issues of online safety and to ensure there is access to information on digital and media literacy for young people. These are among the core functions, if we return to some of the principles about why this commission is being set up.

We had a debate last week where we talked about specifically mentioning online safety and young people. That is precisely why we want to ensure a specific standing committee with young people’s representatives is set up and is required by statute. If there is a specific committee set up on this, for all the reasons we have outlined, attention will be paid to these issues.

I respect the Minister’s decision to go back and reflect on it. However, I anticipate that when these amendments are being addressed on Report Stage, this concern and many of the other concerns we have expressed previously will also be addressed in the amendments. I expect that there would be a requirement by statute that in some form, and ideally through a youth advisory panel, the commission will have regard to the views and interests of young people.