Micheál Martin (Cork South Central, Fianna Fail)
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504. To ask the Minister for Communications, Climate Action and Environment his plans to establish a digital commissioner; and his plans to meet the companies to discuss same. [21774/19]

Richard Bruton (Dublin Bay North, Fine Gael)
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In early March, I announced that Government would address harmful content through the development of new legislation, an Online Safety & Media Regulation Bill, which will also transpose the revised Audio Visual Media Services Directive. I launched a public consultation on these proposals which concluded last month.

This Bill will establish, for the first time, a clear expectation for online platforms to take reasonable steps to ensure the safety of their users, especially children, and provide for regulatory oversight by a robustly empowered Online Safety Commissioner.

The consultation has been the primary mechanism through which I have sought the views of stakeholders, including relevant companies, in relation to the proposals. I want to thank all those who contributed to the consultation, including NGOs, industry players, experts and member of the public, and to note that these contributions will be published in the coming weeks. We are currently examining the issues raised and suggestions made to inform the development of this new legislation.