Dáil Éireann Debate, Thursday - 19 February 2026
15. Deputy Naoise Ó Cearúil asked the Minister for Enterprise, Tourism and Employment the steps being taken to build national capacity within regulators and industry in advance of the full commencement of the EU AI Act; the way in which this will support Ireland’s position as a competitive and innovation-focused location for AI development; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [13254/26]
View answerAs the Deputy will be aware, the EU AI Act entered into force on 1 August 2024 and will apply in on a phased basis, with the main supervision and enforcement provisions coming into effect from 2 August 2026, and certain high-risk provisions coming into effect in 2027. My Department, with overall responsibility for the national implementation the EU AI Act, is working closely with other departments and our national regulators to ensure Ireland is fully prepared for the timely and effective implementation of this regulation in Ireland.
Ireland has adopted a distributed model of competent authorities for the EU AI Act, with a designated central authority to provide coordination and several centralised functions. This approach builds on Ireland’s existing regulatory structures to maintain coherence and efficiency and reflects the Government’s commitment to responsible innovation and the adoption of trustworthy AI.
To date, thirteen public bodies have been designated as market surveillance authorities (MSA) and four as notifying authorities (NA), with some of those public bodies having a dual role as both an MSA and an NA.
In January 2026, Government approved the priority drafting of the Regulation of Artificial Intelligence Bill 2026. Among other things, the Bill will establish a new statutory independent body – Oifig IS na hEireann - to act as the Single Point of Contact and central coordinating authority for the EU AI Act in the State.
My Department is engaging with the Office of the Parliamentary Council to progress the Bill in a timely manner with the objective of having the legislation enacted in advance of August 2026, so that the new Office can assume its role as central coordinating authority, national Single Point of Contact and promoter of trustworthy AI adoption. €1.5 million has been secured in Budget 2026 for the start-up phase of the Office, with an initial complement of staff to be in place by the end of 2026.
In addition to legislative measures, we are also investing in AI Act compliance readiness across industry , with a strong focus on SMEs. My Department, in collaboration with CeADAR, Ireland’s national centre for applied AI, has developed a free online training course – “AI for You: Introduction to AI and the EU AI Act” – to help small businesses understand what AI is, and what the Act means for them. We also engage regularly with providers and deployers of AI through industry events, meetings with companies and representative bodies, and through guidance and tools e available on the Department’s website. These measures are aimed at both raising awareness of upcoming regulatory obligations and ensuring our enterprises can move quickly to align with the new framework, thereby reducing friction and cost when the Act is fully applicable.
