With that consequence again. That is a very slippery slope in that context.

It has been the practice that the functions can be addressed. There is no additional resource requirement or suggestion in our pieces. We will come back to this discussion but this is a really dangerous direction.

That needs to be reviewed.

As I understand it, amendments Nos. 10 and 12 split the section. I wanted to be clear about that. My amendment No. 11 seeks to ensure the interests of children are "protected and promoted". This is trying to be in tune with the clear spirit of the audiovisual directive. That directive is not only intended to protect against harm, it is meant to promote inclusion and participation. I have often argued with American parliamentarians about these matters. Freedom of expression is also the freedom of participation. It i…

I move amendment No. 11: In page 18, line 40, after “protected” to insert “and promoted”. With the leave of the House, I will withdraw the amendment while reserving the right to reintroduce it on Report Stage.

I move amendment No. 13: In page 19, line 2, after “open” to insert “, inclusive”. The Minister was saying things can be interpreted in certain ways but with many of the suggestions she is getting around the functions it is important, and all of us have run up against very narrow interpretations of a function. I urge that in general, where it does no harm, to make it clear that there is a function. Again, it does not create obligations but gives that capacity to a commission. Indeed, we may have some members of a c…

I urge the Minister to take on board or consider these amendments. Amendment No. 14 may not need to delete line 5 but rather include the substitute text as an additional point. It is important to bear in mind the languages and traditions across the island in all of their diversity but there exists a special duty in respect of the Irish language and it is crucial that this be reflected in a body that will have responsibility for the platforms through which most people will be watching cultural products and for the m…

I will make two points about the previous discussion on the Irish language. The Minister's main argument was on the inadvertent deletion of line 5. It is important to put in something on the Irish language and Irish Sign Language. I hope that is something that might come true. This section deals with functions. There are a number of constructive amendments and I support some of them. Some of my amendments contradict them in terms of placing. There is an opportunity to take on board a number of constructive amendmen…

I move amendment No. 18: In page 19, line 11, after “services” to insert “and the right to and importance of cultural participation”. The equality and human rights component of the legislation is crucial. Even if the equality grounds evolve, it is important that they are named. I know the Minister has said she will engage further on Report Stage-----

This is determining my decision.

It is important that we have discussion in between. I do not think we want to have to start from scratch on Report Stage. Let us make sure that we are not all producing five versions of the same amendment on Report Stage, but that we discuss this in between.

I move amendment No. 19: In page 19, between lines 15 and 16, to insert the following: “(ii) support equality, human rights and participation in cultural life,”.

I move amendment No. 20: In page 19, line 16, to delete “and societal change” and substitute “and societal and environmental matters”. I am trying to tackle two issues with this. I am open to working with the Minister and the Department on them. I am concerned about the potential inadvertent effect of mentioning technological and societal change. Many relevant technological and societal issues of concern already exist. If we are only giving the commission the remit for regulatory arrangements that take account of t…

I am open to that. There is content relating to the promotion of messages about climate and the environment and there are the mechanics of how emissions are produced. Some measures and policies are less wasteful in comparison with others. A thousand choices are made about online service providers. Do they refresh every nanosecond or every millisecond? There are many choices about the training of algorithms and systems to provide recommendations. There are many choices and options there. Again, we want to ensure tha…

I move amendment No. 21: In page 19, line 16, after “change” to insert “and environmental considerations”.

Both amendments are complementary. A really important point about amendment No. 24 is that it refers to community and community awareness programmes. At the moment it relates to educational initiatives and activities and educational bodies. Ireland has one of the lowest levels of digital literacy in the EU. That is shocking when we have these tech giants all around and we are early adopters in respect of lots of technology, so there is an assumption. However, EU studies have found that 40% or more people in Ireland…

First, I join in the very warm congratulations to Senator Clonan. There were so many incredibly strong candidates and we watched such an interesting debate. Senator Clonan arrived into this House at a very timely moment because we have a special committee for the duration of this Oireachtas where we are particularly tasked with examining the implementation of the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities. I am very confident Senator Clonan will be able to bring constructive and important insights and…

Yes, I propose that No. 2 not be taken today, pending the appropriate publications.

I propose that No. 2 not be taken today.

It was never shared with the climate change committee. It was never published