I propose to take amendments Nos. 27, 28, 32 and 34 together. Amendment No. 27 would delete the provisions that allow the Minister, before the establishment date, to designate a person as the first CEO, who would automatically stand appointed by the establishment of the office. The provisions allowing the Minister to designate the first CEO before the establishment of the office are intended to facilitate the timely and orderly establishment of the office. As Senator Stephenson will be aware, the recruitment proces…

I thank the Senators for their amendments. As both amendments address the same underlying issue, namely, the role of the CEO when appearing before Oireachtas committees, I will address them together. Amendment No. 35 would delete section 32(2), which provides that when appearing before the public accounts committee, the "Chief Executive Officer shall not question or express an opinion on the merits of any policy of the Government" or "the objectives of such a policy". Amendment No. 36 would delete section 33(7), wh…

I thank the Senator. I chaired a committee in the previous Oireachtas. It is very clear. It is not a new precedent. It has always been the case. Ministers like myself and many others come in and answer to the Oireachtas and to the Senator and everybody else at the committee in relation to Government policy. Members can tear us apart if that is what is required, but that is the Minister's job to come in. It is incredibly important that we do not blur lines. We are not creating a new precedent. That has always been t…

I thank the Cathaoirleach and colleagues for their attendance here this evening. I am very pleased to bring this Bill before the House today. The purpose of the Bill is to bring full effect in Ireland to EU Regulation 2024/1689 of the European Parliament and of the Council, that is, the EU’s Artificial Intelligence Act, which I will refer to throughout as the AI Act. As with all EU regulations, the AI Act has direct legal effect across all 27 member states. It aims to harmonise rules for AI systems across the EU, c…

First, I thank each and every Senator for their very thoughtful contributions. I will attempt to answer as much as I can and address some themes that were broadly touched on by everyone. Regarding Senator Crowe's point, I have never shied away from the fact that there are positives and negatives to AI and the potential it has, not just in the displacement but also the augmentation, which I know some Senators referred to here today. Only last week, the Minister, Deputy Lawless, held a round table conversation with i…

Gabhaim buíochas leis an gCathaoirleach Gníomhach for his forbearance. I thank the House for facilitating Committee Stage today and for the constructive engagement on the Bill on Second Stage. The Bill puts in place the regulatory foundation needed to build public trust in artificial intelligence, Al, so that Al develops as a tool for people and supports the wider goal of improving human well-being. With these aims in mind, the Bill is a technical implementing measure. It does not add to, nor alter, the obligations…

I thank all colleagues for their thoughtful contributions and well-placed intentions. I have an array of notes here to help me respond to them as best I can. Deputies Geoghegan and Ó Cearúil asked questions about the next phase, primary legislation to go with the non-personal data Bill to cover the pre-legislative scrutiny report's recommendations and any amendments needed for the digital omnibus and levy provision for any regulation. The next phase is primary legislation. This legislation is not only critically im…

The non-personal data Bill.

I thank everybody for their comments. On the AI office CEO appointment, I reassure Deputies that it is an independent process that is coming to a conclusion. I will inform them when that appointment has been made.

I thank colleagues very much for their amendments. I will try to go through each and every one. The purpose of section 9(1)(c) is to provide a broad statement of the office's function to promote and foster AI innovation and literacy. The Bill is intended to give effect to the EU AI Act and in doing so it is important that the language used in the Bill remains consistent with the terminology and objectives of the underlying regulation. Article 1 of the EU AI Act states that its purpose "is to improve the functioning…

In response to Deputy Geoghegan, an order is specifically related to adding to the functions while directions are related to policy. We know that national and EU policies are generally aligned. I hope that answers his question.

I move: "That the Bill be now read a Second Time." I am very pleased to bring this Bill before the House today. The purpose of the Bill is to give full effect in Ireland to EU Regulation 2024/1689 of the European Parliament and Council, and of the EU's Artificial Intelligence Act, which I will refer to throughout as the AI Act. The Al Act is designed to provide a high level of protection to people's health, safety and fundamental rights and to promote the adoption of human-centric, trustworthy Al. As with all EU re…

I thank everybody for their contributions, their helpfulness and their thoughtfulness in their statements, comments and observations. It has been a very wide and varied discussion. AI inevitably touches almost every aspect of society, from innovation and economic growth to public services and jobs. While these are important and wide-ranging issues, today we are here to introduce this legislation, which is focused on implementing the EU AI Act in Ireland and establishing the framework necessary for its effective sup…

I move: "That the Bill be now read a Second Time". I am pleased to introduce the Broadcasting (Amendment) Bill 2026 for the consideration of the House on behalf of the Minister, Deputy O'Donovan. This Bill is a comprehensive legislative proposal which aims to improve transparency, accountability and value-for-money in our public service media providers, RTÉ and TG4, and to put in place a statutory framework to support the provision of quality programming and public interest journalism within a secure and sustainabl…

I thank colleagues for their very heartfelt contributions today. Our officials present have taken copious notes on all the points raised. I have no doubt that they, along with myself, will relay them to the Minister, Deputy O'Donovan. There are two colleagues who remain in the House. I take Deputy Boyd Barrett's point and his concerns on the 25% but it is important to acknowledge that a lot of that will go to independent Irish content creators too, and they are all creatives. I hear what the Deputy is saying. We ar…

I have some notes here in relation to the piece on geo-blocking. There is an existing legislative obligation on RTÉ and TG4 to make their television and services free to air to the whole community of Ireland insofar that it is reasonably practical. However, cases can arise where public service broadcasters cannot broadcast certain content outside the State due to rights restrictions, noting that the rights to content are often provided on a geographic or territorial basis. There is further opportunity to engage wit…

I thank Deputy Cooney for raising this matter, which I am taking on behalf of the Minister, Deputy Browne. I am happy to do so. I will pass on Deputy Cooney's thoughts and concerns about the tenant in situ scheme to the Minister. Tenancy sustainment, also known as tenancy in situ , is not a stand-alone programme or scheme. It is a priority category under the Department of housing's social housing second-hand acquisitions programme, which helps to prevent social housing supported households in the private rental sec…

I will absolutely relay the Deputy's suggestions to the Minister. I will now read the remainder of the reply from the Department. Local authorities may also draw on their respective internal capital receipts, and the Department of housing's planned maintenance and voids programme, energy efficiency retrofit programme, and disabled persons grants scheme, to support non-essential works that can be carried out in the long term. In this regard, Clare County Council projected that some €600,000 or so would be on hand vi…

I am here on behalf of the Minister, Deputy O’Brien. Waste management is a statutory executive function of local authorities. The phase-out of bags for the collection of waste is an initiative being taken by Dublin City Council, as the Deputy outlined. Under section 60(3) of the Waste Management Act, the Minister for Climate, Energy and the Environment is precluded from exercising any power or control, in specific circumstances, over the statutory functions of a local authority. That is not to say I will not relay …

It is widely recognised there are difficulties with the collection of household waste in bags, including the littering caused as a result of bags being ripped, which we often see. There are health and safety issues for collectors whereby sharp objects are placed in bags, litter caused by fly-tipping on streets in areas where bag collections take place, little or no segregation of recyclables or food waste and the inability to gather data on waste collected for statistical and environmental reporting purposes. The D…