Jim O'Callaghan (Dublin Bay South, Fianna Fail)
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158. To ask the Minister for Culture, Heritage and the Gaeltacht if consideration will be given to the inclusion of an individual complaints mechanism within the Online Safety and Media Regulation Bill 2022; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [47197/22]

Catherine Martin (Dublin Rathdown, Green Party)
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In January this year, I established an Expert Group to assess the feasibility of providing for an individual complaints mechanism in the Online Safety and Media Regulation (OSMR) Bill. My intention, as I have made clear on a number of occasions, is that I would like to provide for an individual complaints mechanism if it were feasible to do so.

On 20 September, I brought the report of the Expert Group to Government and subsequently published it. The report backed the feasibility of an individual complaints mechanism subject to some important considerations and recommended that provision be made in the OSMR Bill for a phased roll-out of the mechanism, initially prioritising those complaints about online content relating to children.

The report identifies various dependencies upon which the effectiveness, feasibility and success of an individual complaints mechanism will hinge, including that the individual complaints mechanism will not have its full or intended effect unless and until effective systemic regulation of complaints handling process, through Online Safety Codes made by Coimisiún na Meán, has become well established.

Amendments to the OSMR Bill are currently being drafted to provide for the recommendations of the Expert Group. Following this legislative drafting process, it is my intention to seek Government approval to table the amendments at Dáil Committee Stage.

Second stage of the OSMR Bill was completed in Dáil Éireann on 22 September and it is my intention to progress the Bill through the remaining stages of the legislative process and ensure enactment as soon as possible.