Dáil Éireann díospóireacht -
Thursday, 25 Sep 2025

Vol. 1072 No. 5

• Díospóireachtaí
• Aimsigh díospóireacht
  • Díospóireachtaí na Dála
  • Díospóireachtaí an tSeanaid
  • Díospóireachtaí Coiste
• Aimsigh vótáil
  • Vótálacha na Dála
  • Vótálacha an tSeanaid
  • Vótálacha Coiste
• Ceisteanna Parlaiminte
  • Ceisteanna scríofa
  • Ceisteanna ó bhéal
• Leideanna cuardaigh
• Nuair a bhíonn tionchar tromchúiseach ag aithrisí

Saincheisteanna Tráthúla - Topical Issue Debate

Childcare Services

Deputy Mark Wall

I thank the Minister of State, Deputy Niamh Smyth, for coming to the House. I want to talk to her about childcare, particularly in Kilcullen, County Kildare, in my constituency. It was the end of July when I was contacted via email and phone by a number of families in Kilcullen about the lack of childcare in that growing town.

I met with a large number of mothers on a very sunny day outside a local community centre. I was immediately struck by their concerns and the problems they were facing. I was informed about the Kilcullen Needs Childcare group following that first meeting and set about finding the extent of the problem facing those mothers and their families, many of whom are new to the town of Kilcullen. In the last two months, that survey has identified 110 families facing childcare difficulties in Kilcullen. This figure translates into 153 children in need of childcare or after-school places in Kilcullen. Kilcullen is a growing town and only last Saturday I was delighted to be invited to the official opening of the field of dreams, which is a brilliant €1 million development by the local GAA club that will future-proof the GAA needs of the town and provide a community walkway, which is already getting great use. However, there is no doubt that there is a problem regarding childcare. This problem will only worsen. Local reporter Brian Byrne reported today in his Kilcullen Diary blog that 74 more homes were seeking planning permission.

It is always important in a debate like this to detail the human story, what these families are facing and the pressure they are under in the town of Kilcullen. I want to provide some examples. One mother said her son was three months old. She was still on maternity leave, but she had not yet found a place for him for when she returned to work. She decided to take extra unpaid leave for an additional two months. After this time, she would either need to find a private childminder and see her husband reduce his work hours or for him to become a full-time carer and give up his career, as they were unable to afford a full-time childminder. They were on more than ten waiting lists and had to apply outside the county, too. Another mother said her baby was not born yet, but she already knew she would have to travel outside Kilcullen for childcare until a place opened up for their little one. It makes things much trickier for work and socially for their child, whom she wants to be with the kids she will be going to school with when she grows up. Another mother says she has a six-year-old son and is struggling to find an after-school place for him. Her partner has a full-time job and she had to quit her job to take care of their son due to the lack of after-school places for him.

I could go on and on. In total, we had 110 families experiencing childcare problems in this town. I have previously spoken with the Minister for children in relation to this problem, and she is aware of it. I have raised it at every opportunity I can and the community group continues to raise it with every public representative in the Kilcullen area. What we need to see is an intervention by the Government for public childcare places to relieve the problem. We cannot continue to build houses in the town of Kilcullen unless we have the childcare provided there. Another mother told me she was considering leaving the town because the only childcare she could get was some 70 miles away where she was actually born. She travels three days a week in order to avail of that childcare.

Minister of State at the Department of Enterprise, Tourism and Employment (Deputy Niamh Smyth)

I thank Deputy Wall for raising this important issue. He has raised the issue specifically around Kilcullen in County Kildare. Truthfully, however, the issue he has raised is more widespread than that. It is not so specific to Kilcullen, but I appreciate he is advocating for the parents in that local area who are left without childcare as an opportunity to allow them to go to work and to fulfil their daily lives and their careers. It is an issue we see nationally. However, this Government is committed to core funding being introduced to all of our childcare units around the country and trying to invest in childcare. There are myriad community childcare facilities around the country, as I am sure there are in County Kildare, and privately owned ones, too. All of them have seen a transformation in how childcare is operated and delivered upon. More than anything else, providing capacity and ensuring that parents living in any area have childcare places is critical. Deputy Wall makes very valid points. It is an argument that could be replicated in lots of places around the country. County Kildare is nearly a suburb of Dublin now, with lots of parents commuting every day. It impacts mothers particularly when they do not have facilities or places available to them.

I will relay the issues that Deputy Wall raised pertaining to Kilcullen to the Minister with responsibility for children and disabilities, Norma Foley. I will liaise with the Minister and ask if she will meet with Deputy Wall on this specific issue around Kilcullen to see if anything more can be done in the community care setting and the private care setting to grow capacity and ensure parents in Deputy Wall's area have the childcare places they need to fulfil their daily lives.

Deputy Mark Wall

I thank the Minister of State for her reply. She is right; it is a problem in County Kildare and a problem throughout the State, but it is particularly bad in the town of Kilcullen. Nowhere else that I know of has 110 families facing childcare difficulties in the one town. The population of Kilcullen is just over 4,000, so one can imagine the percentage of families seeking childcare.

I have given the Minister of State some examples, and she is right about them almost all being women. Women are giving up their work and careers. We had physiotherapists and gardaí at that meeting who now have to give up their jobs. That is going to have a knock-on effect for us all and all our communities if it happens. As the Minister of State and I know, the waiting list for physiotherapy is long and the need for gardaí around the country is great at the moment. If these women give up, we will all be in trouble. It will add to our social problems right around the country.

I welcome that the Minister of State may be in a position to set up a meeting with the Minister, Deputy Norma Foley. I have already made her aware of this but, unfortunately, we have not had any progress in identifying a centre to cater for these families and the 153 children. The Minister, Deputy Foley, suggested using primary schools and the school setting for after-school services. I am not sure if that is an option in Kilcullen, but it is something we should pursue, because this is an emergency. I cannot, as a public representative, not bring this to the attention of the Minister of State or the Minister. Kilcullen is a fabulous town. There is a great community spirit in it. However, when there are new people coming to the town who, within six months, say they have to leave because of the childcare problem, it is an issue we all need to get involved in.

I welcome the Minister of State's response. I look forward to meeting the Minister, Deputy Foley, as would the families and the Kilcullen Needs Childcare group, because we need action for the families living in the town.

Deputy Niamh Smyth

I thank Deputy Wall for raising what is a pressing matter for his area and people in Kilcullen. As he said, it has a population of 4,000, but 110 families are affected and 153 children are without a place. Kilcullen has a growing population. When a population is growing, we want to keep that population because of the impact on enterprise, including small and medium businesses, around the area and on schools, given that populations feed primary schools. Schools depend on bums on seats to have the teachers and resources, so it all has a knock-on effect.

I appreciate the Deputy raising this issue about his area of Kilcullen in County Kildare. I will follow up with the Minister, Deputy Foley, about it. The two-stream solution has to be looked at. For example, what options are there for providing a community childcare facility? Maybe it should be attached to the local primary school. I do not know, but those solutions must be teased out and the correct place to do so is with the Minister, Deputy Foley. I will ask her to facilitate a follow-up meeting with the Deputy to discuss the particular issues pertaining to Kilcullen.

Irish Language

Deputy Paul Murphy

There was a huge protest on Saturday in Dublin, called Cearta. The streets were dearg le fearg with 25,000 people coming out to demand action on funding for the Irish language and the Gaeltacht as well as action on education, the housing crisis and language rights. The turnout speaks to, on the one hand, a moment for the Irish language of a renewal or resurgence from below, with more and more parents wanting to send their children to Irish-medium schools, for example, and a complete failure of the Government to act on the other.

We have historically low levels of funding for the Gaeltacht, an absence of investment in the Irish language and a continuation of the crisis. The budget is two weeks away. Will action be taken in line with the wishes of all those on the protest and, I believe, the wishes of the majority of people in the country? Will the State and the Government recognise the historic inequality of baseline level funding for the Irish language and the Gaeltacht and the resulting negative impact that has had on the realisation of language rights for the public over many years? Will the funding gap be addressed?

The figures are striking. In 1956, only 0.15% of total State expenditure in the South was on the Irish language and the Gaeltacht. In the past number of years, this has fallen to just 0.1% for the Department of Rural and Community Development and the Gaeltacht. An Plean Fáis 2024-2029 has been agreed and endorsed by over 130 Irish language, Gaeltacht and other groups, to tackle the impact of unequal funding, but will the Government agree to fund it? Will it agree to provide €55 million in additional funding for the Irish language and the Gaeltacht, based on the proposals in An Plean Fáis? For example, Foras na Gaeilge, taking into account the effect of inflation, has 45% less funding than it had 20 years ago, while the number of community groups it is in turn funding has grown significantly over the same period. Does the Government agree that Foras na Gaeilge needs to be properly funded?

The housing crisis is right across the country, but it is particularly acute in Gaeltacht areas. The figures are striking. There are approximately 1,000 Airbnbs available in Gaeltacht areas and ten properties available to rent on daft.ie or whatever platform. This is a housing crisis, but it is also a language crisis as a result. There are only slightly more than 20,000 daily Irish speakers in the Gaeltacht. This is evidence of a 12.8% reduction in the number of such speakers between 2011 and 2022. If young people growing up in the Gaeltacht cannot find somewhere to live in the Gaeltacht, if they cannot find affordable, decent accommodation, they will not be able to stay there and that will cause a crisis for our Gaeltacht communities. Will the Government agree to provide Údarás na Gaeltachta with the power to purchase land or property for housing and social and cultural facilities? Will the Government agree to provide additional funding to Údarás na Gaeltachta to establish a housing department to facilitate a Gaeltacht population and housing strategy for each Gaeltacht language planning area?

Deputy Niamh Smyth

I thank the Deputy for raising this important matter. No more than was the case in his area, busloads of people left Cavan-Monaghan at the weekend to support all things Irish language. It is heartening to hear. The Deputy is right. There is a groundswell of support for the Irish language and for seeing it adequately and properly funded as our national tongue. A day of protest, as the Deputy alluded to, was held last weekend by Irish language and Gaeltacht organisations from across the island, North and South, to highlight a range of issues, including funding for the language, language rights in the North, the implementation of the language legislation and access to public services and housing in the Gaeltacht.

Levels of funding for Foras na Gaeilge are a source of frustration for six main lead organisations in the Irish language sector as they receive core funding from Foras na Gaeilge. The Irish Government provides 75% of Foras na Gaeilge's approved budget annually with the remaining 25% coming from the Northern Ireland Executive in accordance with the funding ratio agreed with the North-South language body as established. Funding for the North-South language body, including Foras na Gaeilge is approved by the North-South Ministerial Council and requires matched funding to be agreed by the Northern Ireland Executive. The Irish Government cannot unilaterally amend the budgets or ratios of the North-South implementation bodies, but the Minister, Deputy Calleary, is acutely aware of the different economic and political circumstances that exist in the two jurisdictions. Officials from the sponsoring Departments in both jurisdictions are in weekly contact at this stage in an effort to resolve the issue.

Notwithstanding this, the Irish Government has provided significant additional funding to the Irish language and the Gaeltacht each year since 2020, with baseline funding doubling in the past five years. While Foras na Gaeilge has not been able to benefit directly from this, the Department has initiated a variety of schemes and programmes to ensure the funding reaches the organisations working on the ground with Irish language and Gaeltacht communities across the country. A significant amount of funding is being provided to some of the Irish language led organisations, which are also part-funded by Foras na Gaeilge. The Government has also approved over €2 million in additional funding for Foras na Gaeilge to specifically support the Irish language publishing sector under Clár na Leabhar Gaeilge, a programme that is not subject to co-funding arrangements and is entirely funded by the Irish Government. The Government has also approved significant funding for a series of initiatives being delivered by local organisations including Conradh na Gaeilge, Glór na nGael and Gael Linn, which receive core funding from Foras na Gaeilge, but are limited by the financial challenges with it. This funding is helping to alleviate some of the financial challenges faced by the leading organisations.

Initiatives currently funded by the Government include the Gaelbhratach scheme for schools. Glór na nGael is promoting the use of Irish in the home. We have the latter, the careers roadshow for schools and universities and clár céad míle fáilte, which introduces migrant communities to the language, funding to provide an Irish-medium early years sector and Oireachtas na Gaeilge, which gets significant funding to develop language-based arts and the Irish Language Network for the Public Service.

I had the pleasure of visiting a little national school in Munterconnaught in my county. The principal, Mr. Vincent Mulvey, and his team have done incredible work, in particular on the programme where pupils are encouraged to use the Irish language. It is not a Gaelscoil, but the idea is to introduce their native tongue for simple everyday use, whether it is to go to the toilet, do their activities or whatever. Those kinds of schemes are having a real-life impact.

Deputy Paul Murphy

I dealt with funding and housing to some degree in the introduction, so I might now deal with education and language rights, which are the other two features of the protest and the demands of the movement. The striking thing in education is the mismatch between parents' aspirations and wishes and the reality of school availability. Almost one in four parents say that if they had the option in their local community of sending their children to an Irish-medium school, they would do so. The previous Government pledged to work towards doubling the number of pupils attending Irish-medium education, but the numbers actually fell by 3%. More parents than ever are saying they would like to send their children to Irish-medium education, and the numbers are falling. Only 6% of pupils receive education through Irish. This is in contrast to Wales. The more I learn about the struggle for the Irish language today, the more I see that Wales is a consistent example of how things should be done. In Wales, currently 23% of children go to school through Welsh and there is a plan that 40% will by 2050. It is a clear, ambitious and measurable goal. What we need from the Government is a similar target, to have an ambitious target - for example 20% over a period of 20 years - and then provide for that with funding and legislation. Similarly, there are 50,000 children in secondary school who are exempt from learning Irish and there is no plan whatsoever to address that.

We have a national plan for Irish language public services, which was published in 2024, but we have no plan for its implementation. When will the action plan to implement that be published? Will it include such things as the Common European Framework of Reference, CEFR, being implemented in the education system, Irish language courses aligned with the CEFR, increasing the number of third level courses through Irish from less than 1% to 5%, the establishment of a scheme to provide Irish language courses aligned with that and increasing the provision of education, which I spoke about?

Deputy Niamh Smyth

As I said, I thank Deputy Murphy for raising this. It is really important that we discuss the funding and vision for our national tongue here in our Parliament. Up to now, it has really been a groundswell of support. Some counties are doing fantastic while others do not have the same opportunities. For example, in County Monaghan, for example, there are four national schools and one secondary school. I do not think I would be wrong in saying those national schools have been championed for years by people like Brendan O’Duffy. A new Gaelscoil will open in Castleblayney in the coming weeks. That is how it should be so that in all our towns, all parents have the option of having their children go through school with Irish as their principal language and having their primary education in that. I wholeheartedly agree with that. Then coming to my county, County Cavan, it has only one primary school and we do not have that secondary school. Again, there are people like Pádraig Ó Cuinneagáin who have done enormous work in championing that from the ground up. We have, of course, a responsibility as a government to make sure that the people who are so passionate about it are facilitated and enabled whether it is primary schools, Gaeltacht areas in the local area and having public services through their local authorities. Having all that in place is incredibly important. The protest we saw at the weekend demonstrates to me how passionately people feel about it. It was heartening to see that.

As I pointed out earlier, the Government in this jurisdiction cannot unilaterally amend the budgets or the funding ratios of the North-South implementation bodies. There are obviously issues as regards the funding arrangements for Foras na Gaeilge. The Minister, Deputy Calleary, is acutely aware of these issues. In light of this he has requested that his officials keep in regular contact with their counterparts in the Department for Communities in an effort to resolve the matter. Government investment in the Irish language and the Gaeltacht has seen major increases over the last five years with the baseline funding doubling since 2020. I am sure the Deputy and I are on the same page in saying that we need more for the organisations on the ground. I welcome the Gaelbhratach scheme where schools which are not Gaelscoils have every opportunity to nurture our native tongue in everyday scenarios in their classrooms and we want to see more of that.

While Foras na Gaelige has not been able to benefit directly from the funding I alluded to, the Government has initiated various schemes and programmes to ensure the funding reaches the organisations working on the ground with the Irish language and Gaeltacht communities across the country. The Minister has serious ambitions for his Department. He is a Gaeilgeoir himself. Unfortunately, I only have a cúpla focal but I always make the effort where I can. It is great that the Minister is so proficient with the language. He is a great advocate for it too. He has serious ambition for the Department over the course of the programme for Government and he has the full support of the Taoiseach, Tánaiste and the coalition partners in that regard. I have no doubt that the Minister will be kicking down doors to ensure there is an increase in the allocation for the Gaeltacht and the Irish language in budget 2026.

Disability Services

Deputy Paula Butterly

I wish to discuss the NCSE’s new guideline review. In the last three days, my office has been inundated with emails and the telephone lines have been choked by calls from concerned parents, principals and SNAs. The guidelines have actually sowed confusion among the school community and among parents. As a parent myself, I consider it a huge privilege to be able to give my son the best education and to meet his needs how and where possible so when I get concerns from other parents, SNAs, teachers and principals on the education they will be able to give their children and pupils and their concerns about meeting the needs of the pupils and their sons and daughters, I am sure the Minister of State will agree, it is a huge concern to us all. I accept that very often, circulars and guidelines can be misread, misconstrued or interpreted in one way or another. I am here asking for clarity about these guidelines. The query, first and foremost, we have received is whether this will result in job insecurity for SNAs. Will the care for those daughters and sons who are currently receiving it be diminished in any sense? Is there a risk that their child in the school setting will no longer receive care? There are indications in people’s interpretation of these guidelines that the criteria will be stricter and it will be harder to access an SNA. That is hugely concerning for any parent. I would welcome any clarity on the issue.

Deputy Darren O'Rourke

There are widespread concerns in relation to this new set of guidelines for the review of SNA allocations, specifically, the narrowed criteria and rigid timelines. The application window now for school-led reviews is limited to a six-week period from 15 September to 24 October and excludes mid-year needs, and there is the issue of unification and redeployment risks. SNA allocations are now unified across mainstream and special classes. This removes the protection autism class resources had while setting up internal conflict and resentment of autism classes within mainstream schools. The level of need in autism classes is often higher and if mainstream SNAs are withdrawn to meet those needs, many children will be left less supported which could breed tension within classes. The narrow definitions of complex needs and level-3 care needs is a very important issue that needs to be resolved. These definitions exclude many children who require support. The dismissal of behavioural care needs is completely at odds with the realities staff face every day. By omitting SNA support for behavioural needs, schools will be forced to push families towards seeking a diagnosis for children in order to access help. This will unnecessarily label children and add to already severe backlogs in diagnostic systems.

On barriers to proper implementation, schools must evidence implementation of the new NCSE Relate programme within the six-week review window. As of now, there has been little training or preparation in relation to the Relate programme. There is a real fear that this new set of guidelines is about one thing and one thing only: it is about restricting access to SNAs. There is a fear that SNA support will be reduced rather than increased in schools.

Deputy Niamh Smyth

I thank Deputies Butterly and O’Rourke for raising this important issue. I think all our offices have been flooded which tells its own story of the concerns and fear out there among SNAs, parents, schools and everyone involved. We need to defuse that but more importantly we need to give the information so that people are clear about what the guidelines will mean. I apologise on behalf of the Minister of State, Deputy Moynihan, that he cannot be here this evening.

At the outset, it's important to say that the Government is fully committed to supporting children with additional needs to achieve their full potential and the programme for Government makes a number of commitments to deliver on this objective. The Department has been steadily building on the number of special needs assistants in our education system. I think we can all agree on that. This month sees over 23,000 SNAs allocated to schools. This is the highest number ever.

As all Members of the House know, these SNAs play a central role in the successful inclusion of students and are committed to supporting and nurturing children with additional needs.

I assure them that the Department and the NCSE, through all policy and guidance, including resource allocations, take a child-centred focus to ensure that all children in our schools with additional care needs are provided with a supportive environment and the resources needed to help them develop and be prepared for life after school. Furthermore, and contrary to some commentary in recent days, I reassure the Deputies that the allocation of SNAs for special classes and mainstream schools has not changed. The NCSE guidelines that were issued relate solely to SNA reviews. There is no change to the allocation process for schools or special classes.

Schools can apply for a review where they require additional SNA support. We encourage schools to contact the NCSE in this regard. Schools can apply for a SNA review from 15 September to 24 October via the NCSE school portal. This is to support the earlier announcement of allocations for the 2026-27 school year to align with the release of the annual staffing schedule, which was requested by schools to allow them to plan better. It also supports our SNA workforce and the implementation of SNA redeployment schemes. It is crucial to state that where an emerging requirement for future SNA support arises after 24 October, a school can contact their NCSE special education needs organiser, SENO, as in previous years, to discuss the need for an SNA review. This has not changed. Where additional SNA resources are necessary to support the needs of students in a school, this will be provided as it has been in previous years.

The NCSE requirements for SNA reviews for 2025-26 are based on existing parameters and circulars relating to the role of the NCSE. The criteria for the determination of a school's allocation have not changed and are outlined in Circular 30/2014. Any school which has a special class or is opening a new special class will be allocated the base number of SNAs according to class category and this will not be reduced. The NCSE has confirmed it will be contacting school representative bodies and school leadership in the coming days with further clarification on all issues raised since publication.

Deputy Paula Butterly

I thank the Minister of State for the reply. I hope it reassures principals, teachers, SNAs and, in particular, parents, because this has been an issue, as the Minister of State said, which has worried hundreds if not thousands of people across the country. I am particularly thankful that the NCSE will be contacting schools in the coming days to clarify the position because, while I appreciate the reply, I am not sure how many people are tuned into Oireachtas TV. Despite our best efforts to reply to everybody, literally hearing it from the horse's mouth would have more value than anything else.

While I am still on my feet, I would like to advocate for early intervention. The earlier we can get care and assistance to our children the less need they will have for it later. We really have to focus on a model of early intervention. If we do not, the expense and need will continue to grow. I ask that the Minister of State, Deputy Michael Moynihan, take this on board, particularly in the context of the upcoming budget.

Deputy Darren O'Rourke

I have the guidelines in my hand. They need to be withdrawn, because what the Minister of State has said and what we heard at the committee yesterday from the Department are directly contradicted by what is in the guidelines. The guidelines give rise to real concern because they state:

NCSE reviews are conducted on a whole school needs-based analysis, To be clear, this can include mainstream and special class allocations.

As a result, a review of the SNA allocation of a special class in isolation is no longer operational. This means all SNA reviews will review the total SNA allocation to a school on a whole school basis.

That circular needs to be withdrawn. There is nothing there in black and white which indicates that there can be a midyear review. How did the Department end up issuing this circular? It needs to be withdrawn. I welcome the fact that clarification has been provided and that schools will be contacted. In my firm opinion, however, the circular needs to be withdrawn. Not only that, there is continuing reference to the 2014 criteria. Those criteria are completely out of touch with reality; they need to be reviewed and updated. There is a commitment to do this, but it needs to happen before there is any reissuance of guidelines.

Deputy Niamh Smyth

I thank Deputies Butterly and O'Rourke again. No more than them, I have had many meetings with principals. Prior to the guidelines being printed over the summer or the beginning of the school year, the allocation of SNAs was a source of concern and upheaval for schools. Principals were ringing around trying to make sure they had everybody in place. I take on board what Deputies O'Rourke and Butterly said and I will relay their suggestions to the Minister of State, Deputy Moynihan, and the Minister, Deputy McEntee. I was not privy to the committee meeting yesterday, which they referenced, but I will relay their concerns.

I thank the Deputies for raising the issue and for giving me the opportunity to discuss it. As they know, the NCSE has responsibility for co-ordinating and advising on education provision for children with special needs. Clarity is very important. I hope our school principals, leaders and, most importantly, parents will, through the SENOs on the ground, be given clarity on this and will not have this concern in the new academic year.

As I mentioned earlier, there has been increased investment in the provision of SNAs throughout the country in recent years. The numbers have doubled in the past ten years. I do not see this in any way being depleted; I see it as increasing. Far be it from me to say, because I will not be at Cabinet during the budget discussions, but I think we all agree it will have to be increased. It increased by 43% in the past five years alone. Any school that may have a concern should contact the SENO to discuss the matter. The NCSE is available to schools to support them with the deployment of the SNA resource allocation to support their pupils with their care needs. The Department of Education consults all stakeholders, including parents' groups, advocacy groups, schools and representative bodies on any new policy changes relating to special education.

I could continue reading the script, but I want to say in earnest that I appreciate this has been a difficult and challenging time. The communication has upset parents and got them very worried. All of our inboxes are full. The Deputies have articulated their concerns very well. I will relay them to the Minister of State, Deputy Moynihan. I hope we can bring clarity and peace of mind to the parents affected.

Artificial Intelligence

Deputy Malcolm Byrne

I thank the Minister of State for being here to address the question of a national office on artificial intelligence. It is very much within her brief. I welcome the commitments she has made to open a national office on artificial intelligence, establish an AI observatory in order that we will have evidence-based research on the social and economic impact and potential of and the opportunities presented by AI and host an AI summit during the course of Ireland's EU Presidency in the second half of next year.

The Minister of State is aware that the committee on artificial intelligence is very keen to have this AI office established. I have spoken to her about it several times. Our colleague Deputy Ó Cearúil has even brought forward legislation in this regard. It is critical that we get to know how the office will function. It is important in the long term that it is independent. In the early days following its establishment, it will require a lot of support from the Department.

I see it as having two main roles, which the Minister of State might outline further. There is the regulatory function, which will be to oversee the implementation and enforcement of the artificial intelligence Act. Equally, there is the information and support function, particularly for SMEs and small organisations, to enable them to innovate and support them in being able to avail of the potential of AI. There is also the element of how we can use AI in the public services for the more efficient and effective delivery of public services.

I would like to hear from the Minister of State how she envisages the governance structure of the national office on AI.

Will it be similar to some of the other regulators? It will need to be a body that has the respect of other regulatory bodies. It will obviously be critically important that the named bodies that have responsibility in this space liaise with the national office and that the national office will also identify where there are cracks in the system where data is being used so that it can take action. It is also important that the voices of children and young people are heard in establishing the office. I urge the setting up of a youth advisory panel similar to the youth advisory panel in Coimisiún na Meán, the media regulator. That is a good model. The Office of the Ombudsman for Children also has a youth advisory panel. Two representatives of that panel came before our committee this week. They were very effective and informed witnesses.

We should not underestimate the scale of the operation that will need to be established. I have looked at the national AI office in Spain. As the Minister of State knows, this was established two years ago in September 2023. There are many divisions within that office. It has departments for innovation; AI aimed at public administration; certification, instruction and supervision; trend identification and social impact; alignment and co-ordination; and awareness, training and promotion. As I have said, that is also critical because this cannot just be a department of "Thou shalt not" but must be a department of "Thou shall, this is how and this is how we are going to help you".

I welcome the Minister of State's announcement that we are proceeding with this office apace but, particularly as we are now implementing the AI Act, it is important that we hear from the Minister of State the detail of how this office will operate.

Deputy Niamh Smyth

I congratulate the Deputy on the work he is doing in the artificial intelligence committee. I listened in to most of this week's meeting. As the Deputy has said, the young people who spoke were very articulate and great advocates for the young person's perspective on artificial intelligence and the impact it will have. I thank the Deputy and the committee for the work they are doing. They are doing us all a service in interrogating the issues in this area.

As the Deputy will be aware, the EU AI Act entered into force in August 2024 with a very ambitious timeline for national implementation. The role of AI across our economy and society is of crucial importance and provides all of us with huge opportunities while also necessitating guardrails around its deployment. I believe that is what the Deputy is referencing when he talks about our sandboxes and that national AI office. It is about having space for innovation and creativity. Start-up companies must be very clear on the guardrails but the development of such companies or the AI apps we will see in the future should not be inhibited. That is an ambition of mine. It should be a positive rather than a negative. It should not be a regulatory body that just says "No, you cannot do this" but a place where people can experiment and be certain that what they are creating and devising is human-centred and will not provide any harmful content. As Chair of the Joint Committee on Artificial Intelligence, the Deputy will be fully aware of the need to drive innovation while also protecting our citizens.

While the details of the AI office are being finalised and my Department has retained professional consultancy services to assist, four clear functions for the AI office have currently been established. The first is to co-ordinate the competent authorities' activities to ensure consistent implementation of the EU AI Act in Ireland. I had the pleasure of facilitating one of those meetings last week. We had the 15 competent authorities in the room and all on the same page with an ambition to do this. The second function is to act as a single point of contact for the EU AI Act and the third is to facilitate centralised access to technical expertise for the competent authorities, as required. The final function is to drive AI innovation and adoption through the hosting of a regulatory sandbox and to act as a focal point for AI in Ireland encompassing regulation, innovation and deployment.

My officials are currently developing the general scheme of the regulation of artificial intelligence Bill. This general scheme will provide for the implementation and enforcement of the AI Act at a national level in domestic legislation, including the establishment of the new AI office as an independent statutory agency. I take the Deputy's point. In its infancy, the office will be set up under my Department but, as the Deputy knows, the final creation will be an independent statutory entity. The Minister, Deputy Burke, will bring the general scheme to Government in the next four weeks.

Detailed work plans have been developed to ensure the AI office is in place by August 2026. These are informed by research and analysis prepared for my Department by leading professional services firms. Funding for the new office will be determined as part of budget 2026. The implementation of the AI Act is truly a cross-government initiative. As the Deputy himself has said on many occasions, this cannot be something that happens within the Department of enterprise alone. A whole-of-government approach must be taken. I was delighted to see the Minister, Deputy Jack Chambers, launch guidelines on the implementation of AI within public services at the beginning of the summer. The implementation of the AI Act is truly a cross-government initiative and I look forward to working in a very collaborative way across government to ensure Ireland achieves its ambition of being a centre of regulatory excellence and maintaining its place as a leader in human-centric and responsible AI.

Deputy Malcolm Byrne

I thank the Minister of State very much. I very much welcome the fact that the general scheme is going to be coming before Government, that we will see legislation in place to underpin this office by next summer and that the office will be in place by August 2026. As the Minister of State knows, resourcing is critical to this. During debate on the Online Safety and Media Regulation Act, the Minister of State and I talked about Coimisiún na Meán and ensuring that it was adequately resourced. I am not just talking about budgets but also about putting in place qualified personnel. It needs to be an office that will command respect. Working with those other competent authorities is critical. The commitment to have the office in place by August 2026 is important.

I do not know if the Minister of State can outline how she envisages some of the governance structures. Does she see there being a board? How will that board be formulated? The Minister of State praised the young people I mentioned. I ask that she commits to a youth advisory panel as part of this to ensure we hear the voices of children and young people along with everyone else in society because this has to be human-centric.

I certainly envisage that, if the office is in place, it will have input into the creation of the observatory because having evidence-based data to inform our policy decisions and to be prepared for trends, whether disruption to employment or opportunities in healthcare, is important. It will obviously be critical for the AI summit the Minister of State and her Department will be hosting during the latter half of next year. It is very ambitious. I welcome and applaud the Minister of State's ambition. I just need certainty that we are going to be able to achieve it.

Deputy Niamh Smyth

I think the Deputy knows my work rate and work pace. I certainly intend to be a driving force to ensure this happens. As he has said, three big things have to happen as quickly as possible in the lifetime of this Government. The first is the establishment of the AI office. The second is the establishment of the AI observatory, which is critically important to predict the impacts AI will have, including where jobs will be created and where they will be displaced, so that we can be resilient rather than just reacting. On the third piece, I am happy to confirm to the Deputy that we will be holding an AI summit in October 2026 as part of the European Presidency. I look forward to the Deputy and his committee collaborating with me on that. We can work collaboratively on that.

The EU AI Act is a pivotal regulation that is horizontal in nature, that is risk-based and provides the necessary guardrails for transparency and the ethical adoption of AI to protect our citizens. The AI Act also supports AI innovation and will have a positive impact on our economy and our society at large. That is a critical message I would like to deliver today. This should not be seen as a negative. The many start-ups I have met so far are all very keen to see the regulation in place. They do not see it as a negative. They see it as a positive. We are seen as a country of excellence when it comes to regulation.

AI will be no different because it gives people a pathway. They know what they can and cannot do. They know what the expectations are. We will drive that as a place for innovation and not stifle creativity in any way.

The Government is committed to ensuring that Ireland is a leader in the digital and AI economy and recognises that harnessing the potential of AI and digital technologies more broadly is vital to maintaining our competitiveness, driving productivity and ensuring that Ireland maintains its position as the location of choice for doing business. When I say that, I mean globally. I thank the Deputy for his comments and questions and look forward to working with him on the three big ticket items.

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