Catherine Martin (Dublin Rathdown, Green Party) | Oireachtas source

Gabhaim buíochas leis na Seanadóirí as an spéis a léirigh siad sa Bhille agus an mionscrúdú a rinne siad ar na forálacha.

As Senators stated on the first day we debated this, the Online Safety and Media Regulation Bill is crucial legislation. It modernises the regulation of the media ecosystem in Ireland and lays the foundations for the new regulatory frontier of online safety, which will be of great importance when it comes to protecting our children online.

Key to this is the establishment of a robust and agile regulator, coimisiún na meán, whose remit will continue to grow in the coming years. An coimisiún will ultimately be responsible for enforcing key pieces of EU regulatory legislation, including the revised audiovisual media services directive, the Digital Services Act and aspects of the terrorist content regulation. It will have an important role in ensuring media sustainability and development.

This Bill is the first step in a rolling legislative programme in this space in the coming years. I thank the officials in my Department for their tireless work and engagement with Senators and Deputies on my behalf during the passage of the Bill through both Houses. The Bill is of fundamental importance to protecting our society, particularly our children, from serious forms of harmful online content and finally ensuring online platforms are appropriately held to account. I know all Senators and Deputies are cognisant of the significance of the legislation. I acknowledge and thank Senators and Deputies for their constructive feedback and input inside and outside the Houses over the past year.