Aengus Ó Snodaigh (Dublin South Central, Sinn Fein)
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Question 138: To ask the Minister for Justice, Equality and Law Reform if his attention has been drawn to the concerns of many parents regarding the content available to young children via the internet and mobile phone software; if the Government has plans to legislate for this; if discussion has been held or consideration given to requiring the placing of age limits or ratings on certain content similar to that which is in force for DVDs and so on; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [25792/07]

Brian Lenihan Jnr (Dublin West, Fianna Fail)
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I am very aware of the concerns of parents, teachers and voluntary organisations regarding the content available to children via the internet, whether this be through PCs or mobile phones. There is an increasing level of convergence across new communications technologies, including access to internet services through mobile phones. This can include child pornography, racist or hate material, intimidation and bullying. The internet however is an international and world-wide phenomenon with no borders and no single organisation controlling it. Combating illegal and harmful use of the internet requires a combination of responses at national and international level — legislators, law enforcement, schools, child protection practitioners, parents and guardians. As with most jurisdictions the principle applied in the State is that what is unlawful on the ground is also unlawful on the internet.

One of my first steps as Minister for Justice, Equality and Law Reform was to provide for the establishment of the Office for Internet Safety (OIS) as an executive office within my Department. Arrangements for the staffing and headquartering of the office are well advanced, and I expect the office to be fully functioning shortly. The new Office will continue to build on the work of the Internet Advisory Board which was set up in February, 2002 following the Report of the Working Group on the Illegal and Harmful use of the Internet. It will oversee and further develop the self-regulatory regime for the Irish internet service providers, encourage best practice procedures; promote awareness of the internet downside issues and provide advice and facilitate research on internet related issues regarding child safety. The OIS will also be tasked with investigating, in conjunction with the An Garda Síochána, the issue of applying blocking technology to the internet, and will consider the possibility of operating some form of symbol assignment to content as a method of rating such content as age appropriate within Ireland.

The OIS will also continue to oversee the operation of the Hotline (www.hotline.ie — the system for dealing with reports of illegal content on the internet). The Hotline is funded by the Internet Service Providers' Association of Ireland with support from the EU Safer Internet Action Plan. It accepts and investigates reports from the public in relation to child pornography and other illegal material on the internet. It plays an important part by accepting reports, providing the resources to validate them and channel those that are illegal directly to the appropriate jurisdiction and authority. If the material is hosted in Ireland, it will request the relevant Internet Service Provider (ISP) to remove it, in accordance with their Code of Practice and Ethnics. Special protocols operate between the Gardaí and the Hotline that maximise cooperation on law enforcement issues. The Hotline provides a first port of call for parents and members of the public in general who encounter illegal material on the internet.

The Hotline works closely with, and is a founding member of, the international INHOPE Association (www.inhope.org), a network of European hotlines which is expanding to all parts of the world. The INHOPE Association develops procedures and shares information on the best practices for the tracing and tracking of illegal child pornography. I recently launched two new booklets in the GET with IT! Series on behalf of the Internet Advisory Board (IAB). The first booklet "Get with IT" A Parents Guide to new media technologies is an update on the Board's first "Get with IT" booklet which was originally published in September, 2005 and was a major success. That booklet gave an overview of new technologies for parents in an effort to address their potential worries about the dangers of the new media for their children.

The second booklet "Get with IT" A Parents' Guide to filtering technologies helps parents navigate the processes of how to use filtering technology. One of the more effective measures a parent can use to protect children from the dangers of illegal or harmful content on the internet is through the use of filtering software. Filtering software is a program that 'filters' out and blocks inappropriate internet content before children can see it on the computer screen. Experience has shown that filtering tools are capable of filtering potentially harmful content without seriously degrading the internet experience of the youngster. In most cases, computers will already have 'filters' that one can use for free. All a person has to do is switch them on including options for downloading additional filtering software. This booklet should assist parents in deciding on how to choose a particular package to suit their needs.

Copies of these publications were distributed widely and can be had on request through a freefone number 1800 24 25 95. They are also available on the website of my Department at .