I welcome the publication of the Government's AI and digitalisation strategy but the issue relates to harmful products coming onto the market, as Deputy Joanna Byrne outlined. I appreciate we are going to be placing a lot more responsibility on the regulator but some of this has to be about putting responsibility back on the platform before the product or service is released onto the market. We are going to invest in our regulators to be able to deal with this, but the Minister will appreciate that if a new financial service or product is about to be launched onto the market, there are certain reporting obligations to the Central Bank as the regulator. We need to look at a similar situation where social media and AI companies, before they launch a product or service on the market, will have reporting obligations at that stage to the regulator to identify issues early before the product ever comes to market. The difficulty is we have been treating companies that operate in this space very differently from how we treat companies and organisations that operate in similar spaces.

Sentiment score: 0.27

I strongly the support the question raised by my colleague. It is critical that we enhance opportunities for those with a disability. I particularly encourage a further examination of the wage subsidy scheme. The Government made a significant increase in the context of budget 2026. Although it does not come into effect until the beginning of April, it could be considered in the budgetary process for 2027. For instance, a company like Murphy Furniture based in Tinahely, which has a number of stores operating right throughout south Leinster, employs a significant number of people with intellectual disabilities and who are neurodivergent. It is a challenge because companies have to adapt their operations in some of those cases. Something like the wage subsidy scheme is critical but there are costs involved. In the context of the budgetary discussions with the Department of Social Protection, I encourage the Minister of State to address this as well.

Sentiment score: 0.36

Will the Minister establish an AI observatory to run in parallel with the national AI office to look at real-time figures with regard to jobs displacement and the skills needed for Ireland to avail of the opportunities AI presents?

Sentiment score: 0.38

I thank the Minister for the priority he has been giving to this proposal. As he says, the advisory council has strongly recommended it, as have those of us on the Oireachtas Joint Committee on Artificial Intelligence. Change is happening at pace and things are happening quickly. We saw the recommendations within the Government's strategy on AI and digitalisation, which was published yesterday, but we also had a report from the Department of Finance yesterday that identified that Ireland is potentially most at risk from rapid changes resulting from AI that will impact on the labour force, particularly in the areas of IT, professional services and financial services. It is therefore critical that we are equipped and that we see what these real-time changes are going to be. I welcome the moves by the Minister for further and higher education, Deputy Lawless, to provide microcredentials for skills and the whole-of-government approach through the skills observatory and AI observatory so that we will be prepared for the opportunities that will be presented and for the significant levels of job displacement we are going to see.

Sentiment score: 0.22

I am hugely supportive of all of that. It is very welcome. It is unfortunate the Minister of State, Deputy Smyth, cannot be here today but I welcome the fact that she is at the global AI summit in New Delhi. It is critically important that Ireland takes a leadership role in this space. There is already anecdotal evidence that we are seeing significant changes in the jobs market so I welcome the fact that we are looking to be ahead of this. It is critical that there is an understanding within the Minister's Department and across the broader public service. I suggest that civil and public servants be encouraged to undertake the new programmes being launched through the Department of further and higher education so that they will understand the potential of AI. It would serve us well for all Members of this House to have the opportunity to avail of some of these courses to understand the real impact of AI and other new technologies on the employment market and on society more generally.

Sentiment score: 0.37

I thank the Minister. This question is based on a recommendation from the Joint Committee on Artificial Intelligence. I am encouraged by the approach Government has taken, particularly the publication yesterday of the AI and digitalisation strategy. The Minister correctly stated in response to the previous question that this is related to our investment in digital infrastructure plus our investment in the energy grid, particularly in renewables. Our approach has to be precisely, as he said. It is about getting the balance right between supporting innovation in the sector and using those technological tools to improve processes while at the same time maintaining public trust and ensuring the necessary guardrails are in place. It will be critical as part of the EU Presidency, which is what some of this question relates to, to talk of the EU's and, particularly, Ireland's digital sovereignty. I hope that will be one as the issues addressed as part of our Presidency.

Sentiment score: 0.31

I very much welcome the Minister's approach on this. It is critical we bring the public with us and, as he said, that it be cross-government. Will he consider public information campaigns to make people aware of the possibilities and challenges? He and I will probably remember the famous ads, "I don't know what a tracker mortgage is", so that people could understand financial products. We need to look in a similar way at artificial intelligence and have people sitting on the back of a bus saying, "I don't know what an algorithm is", and to get an understanding and explanation of that. The more understanding there is in society of the potential of the new technologies, the more it will inform those in business and in the public services about the opportunities and challenges. I welcome the AI summit this October. It is a real opportunity to show Ireland as a leader in this space. The Government is taking the correct approach.

Sentiment score: 0.23

I commend the fact that the Minister has significantly increased the sums available when it comes to the humanitarian relief under storms. He did reference Storm Claudia, particularly with regard to the impact that had on County Wexford and the humanitarian relief which was open to businesses and sports clubs under that scheme. Unfortunately, one of the clubs that was impacted in a big way was Woodenbridge Golf Club but the problem is that because it is over the border in County Wicklow, it was not deemed eligible under Storm Claudia. Bizarrely, it escaped some of the worst effects of the recent Storm Chandra. My office has made a request to the Department that it would consider the case of Woodenbridge Golf Club and the impact that Storm Claudia has had on it. I ask that the Minister intervenes in this case because it was similarly impacted by the floods but because it is in the wrong county it was excluded from the scheme.

Sentiment score: -0.13