Regulation of Artificial Intelligence Bill 2026: Committee Stage
Seanad Éireann — 2026-07-09
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Patricia Stephenson (SD), Labour Panel

The Minister of State said that it is an independent body. She said she previously experienced being a committee chair and Ministers coming in and speaking about their Department because that it is their brief. At the same time, she is telling us that this other body is independent but it cannot speak for itself. Does this body sit under the Department? I know it is housed within, but will it be independent? What the Minister of State has just presented is that the Minister will come into committees and speak for it. She said that the standard practice is for the Minister to come in. I said it is okay for heads of State bodies to come in and that they do it is all the time. I am trying to point out that there is a contradiction in what the Minister of State presented.
The Minister comes in and speaks about the Department and its responsibilities and remit. If the AI office is an independent office, which the Minister of State presents that it is-----

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Record URI: https://data.oireachtas.ie/akn/ie/debateRecord/seanad/2026-07-09/debate/main
Retrieved: 2026-08-14T04:55:11+00:00
Sitting date: 2026-07-09