Internet content governance legislation
Patrick O’Donovan seeks debate on recommendations from the Internet Content Governance Advisory Group and links them to the promised criminal justice Bill on information systems. The Taoiseach says the Bill is planned for publication by mid-next year and agrees that a short discussion may be appropriate.
With regard to the promised criminal justice (offences relating to information systems) Bill, in May 2014 the report of the Internet Content Governance Advisory Group, which was set up by the previous Minister for Communications, Energy and Natural Resources, Deputy Rabbitte, was published. It made two legislative recommendations, one related to the Non-Fatal Offences Against The Person Act 1997 and the other related to the Communications Regulation (Amendment) Act 2007. I raise this matter under the promised criminal justice (offences relation to information systems) Bill because of a blight on a great deal of political discourse, which is the issue of cyberbullying and the way in which some people are being attacked on the Internet in a totally ungoverned fashion.
Comment on this
We saw it recently with the discourse here in respect of a very brave individual who brought forward allegations of sexual abuse in Northern Ireland. Will the Taoiseach make time available in the Dáil for a discussion on the Internet Content Governance Advisory Group report because it makes a serious recommendations to tighten up this area of the law and to unearth this practice which has been allowed to continue without limits? It is a scourge on many people.
Comment on this
The matter raised by the Deputy is a serious one. The criminal justice (offences relating to information systems) Bill is listed for publication by the middle of next year. It might be appropriate to have a short discussion in respect of the Internet governance content issue. This is affecting a great number of young people at the moment.