I thank the Minister of State for that. I commend the work done to date. I acknowledged the Minister of State's report in August and, as has been mentioned, the appointment a year previously of Dr. Scanlon. The State is ahead of the pack, which I am very glad to see. It befits our status as a digital employer and digital hub for so many multinationals and, indeed, indigenous companies that are very advanced in the technology space. We see inconsistencies in the approaches around the world, from Italy's ban on ChatG…

So often with technology and advancements and innovation of any kind, we see potential conflicts between private interests and the public good. In some cases, corporations are racing ahead with their developments and laboratories. We also see some founding fathers of the technology taking a step back from it. It was well documented over the summer that a couple of early AI adopters and researchers stood back and were concerned about the pace of AI's development. We should embrace AI. It is very positive and the dir…

I am asking this question in place of my colleague, Deputy Troy. Has an export credit guarantee scheme been considered? If the Minister introduced such a scheme, it would provide great support to companies that are seeking to increase international trading opportunities. It would be very welcome and of great assistance.

I thank the Minister and take his response in good faith. I note the Department's research. Its view is that it is not necessary. If that is the case, I take it in good faith. However, it surprised me to learn that Ireland is one of only two EU countries that do not have an export credit guarantee scheme in place. It has been said to me and to Deputy Troy, who tabled this question and who published an article about the topic, that we have tried to boost and support indigenous firms in the export space. I am well aw…

I again thank the Minister. I accept his answer. It is interesting that 1998 is the year it ceased. I vaguely remember that. I was not involved in politics at the time obviously, but I have read about the beef tribunal and so forth. I was aware there were issues around that. However, 1998 is a long time ago. It is before the Good Friday Agreement was signed and before there was an internet or social media. Francis Fukuyama told us it was the end of history and that western liberal democracy had triumphed. Unfortuna…

It is already there.

My question is on the funds review being produced imminently. In particular, in his answer the Minister might focus on the risks and opportunities posed by technological innovation and digital innovation, the markets in crypto, assets regulation and indeed the digital operational resilience Act, DORA. I raised the question of crypto five years ago in this House with the then Taoiseach in terms of its regulation and it was not in progress at the time. Five years on we are getting there but how does that fit into the…

The time is short and the next session is about to begin. However, I stress to the Minister that I mentioned in particular the digital assets, in regard to the opportunities and the risks that flow from those. There are huge opportunities. The digital markets have become the markets. That includes crypto but not only crypto. The Minister will give a written response and he might focus in on those areas that provide great opportunity. However, they need to be subsumed into the wider framework as well.

I also raise the issue of Castletown House in Celbridge. The Tánaiste and I have discussed it directly on a number of recent occasions and, indeed, it was ventilated on the floor of this Chamber a few moments ago. This is an issue of huge significance not just to the 80,000 people living in close proximity and the communities of Celbridge, Leixlip, Maynooth, Straffan and into Lucan and beyond; it is also a nationally strategic site. The Tánaiste is familiar with the background. Unfortunately, half of the estate has…

I will take on the baton. I am pleased to see this Bill progress. The Joint Committee on Justice produced a considered report after the heads of the Bill were referred to us. I am glad that a number of its provisions have made their way into the Bill. My colleague, Deputy O’Callaghan, spoke about the consent provisions. Then there is the implementation of the O'Malley report on protections for vulnerable witnesses in sex offence cases, including separate representation at times. It is reassertion. There are already…

I do not need to tell the Minister the concern this issue has raised. I am aware he has been moving with might and main since this happened to address it but one of the main concerns which arises from this issue is the public's trust and confidence in the system. It is so important for preventative medicine, in particular, that we encourage the public to engage with services provided, be it for check-ups, scans, diagnostics, vaccines or all the different procedures and preventative treatments that are so important …

It is five minutes, according to the roster that was given to me.

I will cut to the chase. Were these patients or their parents invited to consent to these procedures? Did they consent and was there a discussion or a decision at some point where they were told what they were signing up to here and what was going to happen and were they then misinformed? Was consent given which was based on false information? What engagement happened between patient and surgeon for this to happen? How was that managed and was that then vitiated by false information? What is the next step when the …

The question asked for a progress update on the new Garda station in Dublin 7. Deputy Farrell cast out a sliotar to his constituency. I am going to cross the river to Dublin 8, in which Heuston Station is located. A new Garda station was recently announced for that location. I am not sure whether it is a control centre or a Garda station. My main concern is the safety of commuters travelling to and from Kildare, but also anyone travelling on the Heuston line. What impact is that new station having? Will the gardaí …

What measures are being taken to make Ireland a hub for EU technology regulation? There is a great opportunity there. We have already stepped into many areas, including data protection, but there are many other aspects we can embrace.

For a long time, the digital space was an emerging and new frontier that was a bit of a wild west at one stage. Thankfully, now a multitude of regulation is coming down the track. I am thinking of the Digital Services Act, which the Minister of State mentioned, the Digital Markets Act, the Data Governance Act, the AI directive, which we discussed in the context of the previous question, and the AI liability directive that is coming hot on the heels of that. Later in 2024 or in 2025, we will have the cyber resilienc…

The Minister of State mentioned the country-of-origin principle, which is of interest. He also mentioned other EU states. What is the attitude to that principle vis-à-vis Ireland from other member states? Are there any tensions or frictions that we should be aware of? Is that widely accepted? On a related theme, it is important that in applying the country-of-origin principle, we should draw the benefits in every sense to avoid a brass-plate situation where a service is being booked through Ireland without the jobs…

I engaged with the Minister on the detail of this in recent days. I thank him for those conversations. I have engaged with many others, including people whose views I highly rate, such as Johnny Ryan of the ICCL and Max Schrems, to whom reference was made. We had the pleasure of hosting Max at the Oireachtas Joint Committee on Justice on two occasions. He was here in person for one meeting and he participated in another online. He corresponded with me during the week regarding this amendment. There is general alarm…

I too welcome the youth justice strategy and the progress made by the Minister of State, Deputy James Browne, in advancing these matters and many of the aspects addressed under his stewardship. Looking beyond the strategy to other issues in the sphere of youth justice, the justice committee, which I chair, published a comprehensive report recently on the decriminalisation of certain substances - drugs - with a greater focus on cannabis but with a variety of substances in mind. It was signed off on an all-party basi…

The phrase, "justice delayed is justice denied", is often said. I think I heard it in this and in previous debates on the Bill. This arises from the McFarlane decision, which I think dates back to 2010, although the decision was also perhaps spoken about in previous rounds of appeals. On the positive, before getting into the legislation and the new scheme the Minister is bringing forward, which I welcome, it should be recognised that the McFarlane decision does not sit in a vacuum and has not been ignored. It creat…