Emer Currie (Dublin West, Fine Gael)
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270. To ask the Minister for Culture, Heritage and the Gaeltacht the level of resources given the Coimisiun na Mean to counter online disinformation in 2024; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [14645/25]

Emer Currie (Dublin West, Fine Gael)
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271. To ask the Minister for Culture, Heritage and the Gaeltacht the level of resources given to Coimisiún na Meán to counter online disinformation in 2024; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [14645/25]

Patrick O'Donovan (Limerick County, Fine Gael)
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Coimisiún na Meán, established under the Online Safety and Media Regulation (OSMR) Act, is Ireland’s online safety and media regulator. It plays an important role both in the regulation of online platforms and in support for public interest content across all media, both of which are important in addressing disinformation. Coimisiún na Meán is Ireland’s Digital Services Co-ordinator under the Digital Services Act, for which, Exchequer support of over €11m was allocated in 2024 from the Department of Enterprise Trade and Employment.

Coimisiún na Meán oversees the Media Fund that supports a range of funding schemes to support public interest content and help ensure that the public are served by high-quality, independent journalism that enhances democratic discourse and is trusted by citizens. Recently, €5.7m in funding was announced by Coimisiún na Meán through the Local Democracy and the Courts Reporting Schemes. These schemes were administered on a platform-neutral basis and aim to support under-served public-interest journalism, particularly in terms of reporting on local authority meetings and local and regional courts. The Schemes are providing funding for over 100 new or enhanced journalism roles.

In Budget 2025, €10m was secured to ensure the continuation of these schemes and to introduce two further schemes, the Digital Transformation Scheme and News Reporting Scheme. The Digital Transformation Scheme will aim to help media organisations transition from a traditional to a more digital-focused business model, while the News Reporting Scheme will provide another avenue of support for public-interest journalism.

Given the importance of independent radio and television in delivering vital public service content for our democracy and society, €6m was allocated in Budget 2025 to support the provision of high quality news and current affairs content on commercial radio and television. This is aligned with the commitment in the Programme for Government to ensure accessible funding to support the provision of objective news and current affairs content. This funding is intended to sustain the continued provision of free, independent, high-quality journalism that plays an indispensable role in providing objective, trustworthy and accurate news and current affairs coverage to the public.

In addition to these supports, funding dispersed through the Sound and Vision Scheme supports high quality, culturally relevant public service content across all television and radio stations. Last year, €22.7m was awarded to support 210 projects nationwide.

No one approach can solve the complex issue of disinformation. Education, media literacy initiatives, legislative initiatives like the EU Digital Services Act, and other regulatory approaches are key tools in Ireland’s response to the problem.

To help combat disinformation, the Government is undertaking a range of measures, including the development of a cross Government and civil society National Counter Disinformation Strategy (NCDS) as recommended by the Future of Media Commission (FoMC) report. An independently chaired working group was tasked with the development of the NCDS and has recently completed its work. I intend to bring this to Government shortly, with publication to follow thereafter. The Programme for Government has also committed to providing funding for the implementation of this strategy and this will feed into Budget 2026 negotiations.

All of these supports and initiatives are an important intervention in helping to address the multifaceted issue of disinformation, by developing and maintaining a diverse and trustworthy information environment.