Online safety is a key Government priority. We have taken major steps forward in recent years and with Coimisiún na Meán the heart of our online safety framework, we have the tools to improve online safety, in particular for children and vulnerable adults. The online safety framework comprises the online safety code, the EU Digital Services Act, DSA, under which An Coimisiún na Meán is Ireland's digital services co-ordinator, and the EU Terrorist Content Online Regulation, for which An Coimisiún na Meán is a competent authority. The online safety code applies to designated video-sharing platforms established in Ireland, including TikTok, Facebook, Instagram and X, and Part B of the code contains specific obligations to put in place robust age assurance to prevent children from accessing adult content such as pornography or extreme violence. An Coimisiún na Meán is supervising compliance by designated services with the code. As digital services co-ordinator under the DSA, An Coimisiún na Meán works with the European Commission to ensure platforms put in place the systems and processes required to minimise the risk of exposure of children and young adults to illegal and harmful online content. The European Commission is investigating certain platforms with regard to their algorithms and the "rabbit hole" effect. Failure to adequately fulfil obligations under the DSA can lead to significant financial sanctions and continued non-compliance can lead to criminal sanctions for senior management under the OSMR. Alongside this, I am working across Government to support robust age verification. In doing so, we must seek to ensure interoperability and respect users' rights, including data protection rights. To that end, my officials are working with the Government’s Chief Information Officer and his office to look at practical technical solutions to age verification as part of the Government's digital wallet being developed using MyGovID. In addition, European Union member states are examining the so-called “digital age of majority” and Ireland is doing likewise. I believe that any decision would be better taken by the EU and EU member states together but there are differing views on whether there should be an age of digital majority at all and, if there is one, what age it should be, or whether it should be an outright ban or a ban subject to parental consent. Finally, the upcoming digital fairness Act seeks to tackle dark patterns and unethical techniques or commercial patterns on social media platforms. I will continue to work across government and with stakeholders to improve online safety.

Sentiment score: 0.12

We have had extensive engagement in the Department on this, in particular in the context of Ireland's Presidency of the EU Council in the second half of next year. I am very conscious of the complexities of the issue and the fact that Deputy Gibney has raised an issue regarding age verification. How do we verify someone's age without having a data set that we know is verifiable? If someone says they are not prepared to hand over a data set, how can a person's age be verified? This is a very serious issue. In order to protect a child, we must have robust and strong data that shows he or she is over 18. If the Deputy is now saying that a person's rights with regard to their privacy trumps a child's age online, that is the start of a very big problem in the House.

Sentiment score: 0.02

I am glad to inform the House that I inhabit the real world and most of the parents, teachers and people in the real world I speak to are concerned about children online and age verification. While Deputy Gibney might not think it is as important an issue as I do, as I said at committee it is important. Deputy Ó Snodaigh will recall that the last time we had to use the Government's data set for a particular piece of legislation, it floundered because some interest groups outside of the House were more interested in privacy than other issues and they got their way. The question of which is more important, privacy or the protection of children online, will be a difficult and salient one for the House. That is a question we will have to answer as a House soon because I will have to bring forward proposals, along with my colleagues the Ministers for public expenditure and reform and Social Protection. I hope all parties support that.

Sentiment score: 0.42

I thank the Deputy for welcoming the fact that the work on the Crawford Art Gallery is going ahead. The national cultural institution investment programme is a key investment programme for the Department under the national development plan. All of the projects, including the redevelopment of the Crawford Art Gallery, are progressed in line with the infrastructure guidelines. The purpose of the infrastructure guidelines process is to develop and refine the project, including the cost estimates. The redevelopment of the Crawford Art Gallery is a challenging and complex project that requires a combination of conservation and new-build elements on a restricted city centre site. The original estimate at preliminary business case stage was arrived at in 2020, prior to the planning and design phase, and the project has changed substantially since then. There has also been considerable construction inflation of just under 40% since 2020. In 2024, the project went out to tender in the market. Following the outcome of the tender process to determine the main contractor, integrated design team and reserved specialists, the overall project budget estimate for the Crawford development is now €93.1 million, including VAT. To date, €6.5 million has been spent to bring the project through to this stage. This figure covers investigative surveys, design costs, the costs of decanting the art works and getting the art works into storage. The remaining capital costs are estimated at €86.6 million. In line with the infrastructure guidelines, the final business case has been completed. As part of this process, there was a reappraisal of all options to deliver this key project. It found the proposed option remains the best to redevelop the gallery on a cost and quality basis. To proceed with the redevelopment now is the most direct, timely and cost-effective way to deliver a new and revitalised Crawford Art Gallery that will be a landmark artistic and cultural amenity in the centre of Cork city and bring to conclusion a project that has been planned for many years. The contractor is expected to be on site in early 2026 and the project will be completed in 2028. The gallery fit-out, commissioning and reoccupation will follow prior to opening.

Sentiment score: 0.08

The Deputy is quite right; there have been delays. We are now in a position whereby the contractor will be in place in January and it is to be hoped the project will be completed in 2028. The Deputy omitted to say, perhaps in error, that in the intervening period since the preliminary business case was completed, inflation in the construction sector has been running at 40% or more. It is a complicated and challenging site. It is a city centre site and heritage building. It is not straightforward. As with all of these things, there are elements that come to light after the fact that would not necessarily have been to the fore until the detailed design was initiated. There is a significant cost differential. My Department has guidelines we have to adhere to. Those guidelines were adhered to. No moneys were expended prior to the initial response I gave a while ago, when I made reference to the figure of €6.5 million. We are now in a position, thanks to a Government decision arrived at in the past fortnight, to proceed. The Crawford Art Gallery is the only national cultural institution wholly outside of the city of Dublin and represents a massive part of our national development plan allocation in its entirety.

Sentiment score: 0.04

Nobody wants to go out of his or her way to look stupid. The reality, as the Deputy knows as well as I do, is that when one goes under the bonnet of buildings like Leinster House, for example, one finds in the detailed design and in the final planning, as I saw in previous Departments I was in, that sometimes the depth of the problems associated with heritage buildings, in particular, is only discovered after the fact. I have made clear that I am not happy there is such a differential in the cost. The planning and design phase has led to the project changing considerably. I can get the Deputy the exact details on what has been added to the scope of works since the plan that was originally anticipated. I welcome the Deputy's comment that we should see more NCIs outside Dublin. There is only one element of the National Museum of Ireland, for instance, outside Dublin, that being in County Mayo. There is an opportunity now under the NDP to see how we can incorporate something similar in other regions of the country.

Sentiment score: 0.06