Sinéad Gibney
Dublin Rathdown · Social Democrats · Ireland
“Unfortunately, those are still not entirely clear. Although the Windsor Framework did look to enshrine that policy of no diminution of rights and the non-divergence of rights on either side of the Border, that has not been clear in how it is going to play out.”
“I want to raise one specific sector. Within my portfolio, the culture sector is a good example of where we could see a much better offering in the joining together of the two economic activities. For example, we have a very vibrant production sector for film and television.”
“The other word that is important to bring into any economic discussion and fiscal discussion around a united Ireland is "holistic" because, unfortunately at times, I see the Government looking at the economy as a discrete part of society and neglecting things that fall outside of economic discussion, economic imperatives, and policymaking…”
“There are ways that we can see how our governance of this jurisdiction can be improved simply by the opportunities that will be presented by opening up constitutional change and the discussions that we are all going to have about how we govern ourselves right now and how we may govern an entire island of Ireland.”
“When the Minister of State referred to office roles in Brussels, was he describing roles in NATO headquarters? The international forces the Minister of State is describing are exactly like the coalition that invaded Iraq.”
“I look forward to coming back to the topic of the triple lock in a few questions' time. I have read with extreme concern the reports over the past week on the lack of support provided by the Department of Defence to Women of Honour, whose members are participating in the Defence Forces tribunal.”
The complete record
Every one of 1,287 lines we hold for Sinéad Gibney, in date order, each linked to its source. Free to read, in full, without an account. Page 25 of 26.
“I thank the Labour Party, including Deputy Wall, for bringing this motion to the floor of the House today to give us a chance to recognise the young carers in our society who contribute so much. I also welcome those who are in the Gallery today. I am particularly interested in the quality public services which are essentially lacking in our society. That requires very much from family and informal carers. I will also speak about means testing but, first, I acknowledge the experience of young carers. I will speak briefly about my own experience. I became a single mum at the age of 24 which is, by today's discussion, on the border of young. I also acknowledge that I was in the privileged position of already having a university degree.”
“We are rejecting international law by trading with occupied territories. While we have statements on our commitments to these principles, and those statements are welcome, they must be backed up by reality. I am keen to hear what the Government is going to do to defend multilateralism and international co-operation and to defend the role of the UN in international stability and security.”
“I truly hope the Government raises this matter at the European Council meeting today and tomorrow. Multilateralism underpins everything we are talking about today. International security for small nations has always derived from peace and stability. I heard the Taoiseach make comments to that effect recently. This means international co-operation and support for international institutions, be they the UN, the ICJ or the ICC. Unfortunately, that represents a tension with our current foreign and defence policy because we are rejecting multilateralism with the plans to do away with the triple lock.”
“Regarding the EU-Israel trade agreement, the breaking of the ceasefire agreement by Israel and the denying of the population of Gaza access to humanitarian aid mean we are faced with another glaring trade issue that is going unaddressed, namely, the EU-Israel association agreement, which allows for free trade between Israel and the European Union. That agreement hinges on respect for human rights. It is written clearly in the agreement. It is also clear to me that Israel has no respect for human rights. We should be pushing the EU to suspend the agreement immediately, as it is not valid anymore, given that its conditions are not being fulfilled. The rules of international law, trade law, human rights law and the treaties we signed need to be followed by this Government, not just when it is convenient, but when we must do it.”
“There has been no meeting with Senator Frances Black since the Government formed or, indeed, since before the election. We have seen the proposal that services be removed from the occupied territories Bill. We are now being told that the Bill itself is going to be replaced by one from the Government. No one, including Senator Black, cares where the Bill comes from or whether it is a Government Bill as long as the spirit of the original Bill is maintained, that is, to deal with the ICJ ruling and implement what is obliged on us as a State by that ruling to cease trading with the illegal occupation of the West Bank. That has to progress.”
“When it comes to trade, we need to acknowledge that much of our trade law is tied to what happens at EU level. Of course, this is not a reason to do nothing. The clear answer to what we can do as a country is to enact the occupied territories Bill. We have clear legal duties in this regard under international law, which has supremacy over EU trade law. With the ruling of the ICJ on the illegal occupation of Palestine by Israel, we have a duty to cease trade with the illegal settlements on Palestinian land, both in terms of goods and services. There is no legal impediment to the enactment of the Bill. While I heard the Tánaiste’s comments in response to Catherine Connolly when he said that the Bill was still very much in the picture, unfortunately every action being done by this Government says otherwise.”
“If we are to take on a more courageous stance as a State and Government, we will see what we have seen in the past with things such as the nuclear non-proliferation treaty, the end of apartheid, the European Union and the human rights conventions that we have all signed up to. We can have that if we balance better our commitments to security and trade and take a more courageous stance. I will focus on the specific experience of Palestine, the occupied territories Bill, which other Deputies have mentioned, and the EU-Israel association agreement at European level. Like many others, I thank the UN special rapporteur, Ms Francesca Albanese, for coming to the Dáil today and for sharing with us her insights and passion in this area. I thank her for inspiring us all. Many of us are channelling her words today.”
“On the flip side, it is that same link that drove the British to build an empire all those centuries ago and colonise territories on the basis of the proliferation of trade. Our responsibility to support a stable and healthy economy is all too often used by representatives of the Government as an excuse to avoid stepping up in pushing for peace, justice and respect for human rights, but the Social Democrats believe these two goals do not have to be opposed. We need ambition and courage to push for a better world that then helps to bring about the prosperity and security we need. Unfortunately, the ideology of this Government is business above human rights and security above peace. We must stand up to the bullies or we will be ruled by them. Instead, we are trading away our own values.”
“I welcome this opportunity to contribute to the debate on international security and trade. I also welcome the way the debate has been framed because these two subjects are inextricably linked. They are competencies that go together. I would say sadly that we all too often we see the elevation of trade, economy and jobs by this Government over commitments I believe we have in the space of security, stability and peace. I am going to speak to that throughout my comments. That inextricable link has always been there. International security, peace and justice are inextricably linked with trade. It is this link that had us impose sanctions on Russia as a result of the illegal occupation and war in Ukraine and led us to boycott South African goods and services during the apartheid years.”
“According to a statement from his office this morning, we understand that the Taoiseach intends to push for a united and clear European position on the atrocities in Gaza at the meeting of the European Council due to take place tomorrow and on Friday. Having failed last week in the Oval Office to convey the sentiment and solidarity of the people of Ireland regarding Gaza, I respectfully request that we have time this afternoon to hear from the Taoiseach exactly what is the unified and clear position that he is seeking to pursue in Europe.”
“I truly hope that we as the Thirty-fourth Dáil can go even further with that because níl aon saoirse gan saoirse na mban. Go raibh maith agat.”
“They are, of course, Róisín Shortall and Catherine Murphy, the co-founders of our party. It is not easy being a woman in politics, but it is easier now because of the work they have done. They are such strong examples of accountability and public service. They are examples showing that women can be leaders and can be respected and capable in the role of a TD. Truly, there are many of us here in the Social Democrats who simply would not be here without the work they have done. Women have changed Ireland for the better. We saw this with repeal, the divorce referendum and multiple campaigns and contributions. Our perspective helps us all as a population to see how things can be better. Our ability means we have shaped a better Ireland.”
“As we heard, we obviously have a very poor record in terms of representation of women in the Dáil. We represent 25% of the Dáil and are 104th in the global ranking for parliamentary representation. What I wish to call out is that, additionally, we have women in this Chamber who are, unfortunately, fairly homogenous. We do not see the representation of minority women that we need to see. I refer to women with disabilities, Traveller women, trans women, migrant women and women of colour. We have a duty and an obligation as women in this Chamber to represent their interests and to hold this space until we truly have a Parliament that reflects the society it serves. I want to celebrate two women in my comments. They are women who forged a path for themselves and others in this Chamber.”
“I am thankful to have the opportunity to make this statement as we approach International Women's Day. Although I like to focus my comments in these days very much on the celebration of gender equality, it is important to call out a few issues keeping me awake at night. The first one I want to talk about is toxic masculinity, its proliferation online now and the grooming and the exploitation of young men. We are seeing an ideological wedge being driven between young men and young women. We are seeing young women gravitate towards a more progressive ideology and young men, unfortunately, being dragged further towards this toxic masculinity and even misogyny. It is something we as legislators have a real responsibility to address. The second issue I wish to mention is representation.”
“Caithfimid é a stopadh trí thacú le pobail Ghaeltachta, le pleanáil teanga, le fostaíocht agus le tithíocht. Ar fud fad na tíre, tá grá ollmhór don teanga. Tá sé mar chuid dár bhféiniúlacht ar an dá thaobh den Teorainn. Chonaic muid é sa scannán "Kneecap". Tá sé tábhachtach tacú leis an nGaeilge Thuaidh agus Theas trí mhaoiniú a chur ar fáil d'eagraíochtaí pobail, clubanna óige, aonaid phobail agus go leor eile. Gan maoiniú Fhoras na Gaeilge d'aonad pobail, ní bheadh aon Kneecap ann. Is cúis náire é go bhfuil laghdú de €820,000 tagtha ar mhaoiniú Fhoras na Gaeilge. Caithfimid níos mó obair a dhéanamh trasna na Teorann chun an fhadhb seo a réiteach. Níl sé ródhéanach ach caithfear é a dhéanamh anois.”
“Cé gur raibh gealltanas déanta ag an Aire roimh an toghchán, is léir go mbeidh rang eile ag iompú ar an mBéarla mar gheall ar pholasaithe an Rialtais. Níl sé seo sách maith. Sa Ghaeltacht féin, tá géarchéim eile. Is iad Gaeltachtaí na tíre seo a choinníonn an Ghaeilge beo. Ní féidir teanga bheo bhríomhar a bheith againn gan pobal beo bríomhar. Leis an ngéarchéim tithíochta sa Ghaeltacht, tá an pobal sin faoi bhrú. Is sampla eile é seo den chaoi ina bhfuil an ghéarchéim tithíochta ag scriosadh ár bpobal agus ár n-oidhreachta. Gealladh treoirlínte pleanála Gaeltachta in 2021 ach fós níl siad foilsithe. Tá líon na gcainteoirí laethúla sa Ghaeltacht tar éis titim idir daonáireamh 2016 agus daonáireamh 2022. Táimid ag breathnú ar mheath na Gaeltachta ag tarlú os ár gcomhair.”
“Le linn Sheachtain na Gaeilge, ní mór dúinn an teanga a cheiliúradh, ach tá sé tábhachtach dúinn mar ionadaithe an phobail tacú leis an teanga sa chuid eile den bhliain chomh maith. I mo Dháilcheantar féin, Baile Átha Cliath-Ráth an Dúin, tá páistí ag fágáil bunscoileanna lán-Ghaeilge cosúil le Gaelscoil na Fuinseoige, Gaelscoil Shliabh Rua, Gaelscoil Thaobh na Coille, Gaelscoil Laighean agus go leor eile toisc nach bhfuil spás dóibh in aon Ghaelcholáiste sa cheantar, cé go bhfuil éileamh ann. Táimid ag déanamh feall ar na daltaí seo ag cur iallach orthu deireadh a chur lena nGaeloideachas. Tar éis na mblianta i mbun feachtasaíochta, níl aon Ghaelcholáiste i mBaile Átha Cliath 2, 4, 6 agus 8.”
“They appreciate their responsibility to the public purse. I recognise that and once again say that, if they are given the framework to operate within, they will be able to do this. Ní fadhb é a bheith flaithiúil má tá tú ag fáil luach as ach tá an Rialtas flaithiúil le rudaí fánacha. Ciallaíonn sé sin nach bhfuil muid ag fáil na seirbhísí agus an infreastruchtúir chuí. This is an issue it is important to raise and to address. It is truly disappointing the Government amendment fails to do so.”
“It needs to be effectively resourced to do so and it needs to be given that real-time mechanism to allow it to do it properly. I heard the Minister list some of the practices that are in place to ensure accountability and oversight but they need adjustment because, as we have heard all morning, they are obviously not working. We need to adjust those codes and that procurement framework as required and bring about greater transparency and conflict of interest prevention across the system. Modern well-resourced governments can deliver projects on time and on budget. Broken systems cannot. I recognise there are many people within the public service working to deliver value for money for the taxpayer. I have been an Accounting Officer myself and I know how dearly public servants hold the idea of value for public money.”
“I will mention some of the solutions we put forward in our election manifesto last year and on which we will be working over this term of Government. First is a real-time mechanism to monitor spending in order that we can understand those issues in real time and do not get the information six months after the fact when it is too late to do anything. The Government needs to actively engage with civil servants and Accounting Officers to ensure compliance with the public spending code, procurement guidelines and so on is actually happening. Again, this must happen in real time. We do not need to create a new body to do this, particularly one run by private sector experts. The Office of the Comptroller and Auditor General is a reputable organisation with the facilities and competence to deal with this.”
“As I say, people pay their taxes and expect public services in return. What they do not expect and do not want is public waste instead. We are starting to see people resenting paying those taxes. My constituents have told me on the doors that they do not mind taxation when and if they see value for it. What we are seeing is a lack of action on waste, transparency and accountability, and it is resulting in a distrust of the State and its ability to spend public money. It undermines faith in democracy and allows this false narrative that it is impossible for the State to practise value for money, whereas that is actually a political choice. Ba chóir go mbeadh muid ag cruthú sochaí ina mbeadh dlúthpháirtíocht fite fuaite inár bpobal agus áit a bhfaighimis luach ár gcuid airgid dár gcáin.”
“We are outsourcing governance and accountability. That is when we see we have nothing to show for it. Even at the end of all of this overspend, we have so little to show for it as a State. MetroLink is an example of that, with €300 million spent before we have even broken ground. On this project, when it comes to outsourcing, of course private contractors are going to take our money, but the State has to step up and deliver that infrastructure. We get massive public spending going to private contractors on projects that are not fit for purpose while people in the public sector are under immense pressure, having funding released to them and being told to use it or lose it within unreasonable timeframes. One of the most concerning aspects of this is the impact it has on public confidence.”
“Even when it is being identified, we are not seeing the steps required to address it. Let us run through a short timeline, a whistle-stop tour of what happened. In 2016, BAM was initially awarded the contract. In 2017, a year later, the first concerns were raised about cost overruns, but nothing essentially changed. In 2019, two separate Oireachtas committees investigated the overspend and, yet again, nothing changed. In 2022, our current Taoiseach, Micheál Martin, declared that the hospital was 80% complete, and yet it is still not open. That is at the cost of €2.2 billion. There does not seem to be any ability in real time to learn or to rectify the systems allowing this to happen. Another component I point out is that with many of these overspends we are seeing we are again outsourcing all of this expertise.”
“I will touch on some of them, starting with the Arts Council most recently. I feel this is a particular example where, for reasons of cybersecurity, cost, upskilling and that we have a talent pool in this country when it comes to IT and cyber skills, we actually should be insourcing rather than outsourcing our IT procurement across the public sector. I will also touch on RTÉ. When we saw the issues there, one of the things most affected has been workers' rights within RTÉ. That is something we are really concerned about as a party. Then there is the national children's hospital, which has been raised many times already this morning. One thing I will call out within that is that, even when we know there is overspend, there does not seem to be any ability to pull back on that.”
“As proponents of social democracy and as people who believe in a progressive left governance model for this country, we are concerned about that issue of public spending. Perhaps it is the Government's own ideological underpinning, however, which defaults to the private sector and relies heavily on the market, that means it is not as concerned about public spending. It has been pushed into a system of increasing public spending over the past decade because of the windfalls we have seen, the public pressure it is under, and the shortfall in those public services. Unfortunately, without that belief in State reach into public spending, we are seeing waste manifest again and again. I will get into some examples, and of course there is a litany of them. Gach cúpla mí bíonn scéal eile sna nuachtáin faoi na milliúin curtha amú.”
“In a modern social democratic country with a modern governance system, what we have is a system where we pay our taxes and, in return, receive quality public services such as housing, healthcare, education, childcare and disability services, all of which create a floor in society below which we cannot fall. It provides confidence in the public that their taxes are being spent in ways that benefit them. In this country, unfortunately, we have a disconnect because people are paying their taxes and are not getting in return the public services they expect. Instead, we hear report after report of Government spending that is resulting in waste, and people are frustrated at this stage that their tax money is not going in the right direction. I have a theory about this.”
“I thank Independent Ireland for bringing forward this motion. While there are elements of it that I also do not agree with, it is an important topic to discuss. I will call out those components of it that I have an issue with, particularly the idea of an Irish version of the DOGE. I do not think that is an appropriate way to go forward. Nor do I appreciate the condemnation of NGOs when NGOs in this country provide a crucial service in areas where I believe the State should be stepping in to provide those services. Before I go into detail on some examples of Government waste and solutions we put forward as Social Democrats, I want to talk about social democracy.”
“They gave their father and family in Ukraine peace of mind that they were safe. They were grateful for the opportunity to do it and it made them proud to be European and proud to be Irish.”
“I want to make sure we put on the record that we want to see speedy and full policy proposals coming from the Government on the future of this and how it will be handled. I will quote two hosts who are friends of mine, Mark O'Mahony and Louise Holden. They chose to open up their home like so many Irish people have done. I asked them to put into words what their experience has been. They told me that a mother and her young daughter from Kyiv stayed with them for a year and they saw, behind the news, a young family uprooted and dreams and plans shattered. They said it felt right for them to lend these people a hand and they were rewarded for it. They saw a young woman study, get qualified and start a job in finance. They saw a young girl gain confidence in a foreign language.”
“We in Ireland need to use our diplomacy, we need to use our human rights expertise and our profile, and we need to use aid to make sure the situation is resolved. I thank the Ukrainian people who have come here to Ireland. They have enriched our communities and our lives. They are members of our sports clubs, our schools and our places of work. They have been an absolute joy to integrate into our communities. They have breathed life into communities that were otherwise faltering in parts of Ireland. I also thank the Irish hosts who have been part of providing accommodation to so many Ukrainians who have come here. It is a real success story that we have provided accommodation to this number of people in the Ukrainian community through hosting services.”
“All of this is exacerbated by the USAID freeze and the problematic ways in which we are seeing a response from the US President Donald Trump. The mental weight and impact of the war on the people of Ukraine cannot be underestimated. Bullets and bombs cause scars but even when they do not, there is trauma in fleeing and living under bombardment. Trump and Putin have decided they want to sit down and find a resolution to the war. I am here today to say this is not how this works. People in any occupied territory, be it Russian-occupied Ukraine or anywhere else, have a right to self-determination. This will not be achieved by two strongmen sitting down and deciding their fate. The UN has been sidelined and the international community has been ignored so far in this. We cannot let this happen.”
“I welcome our guests, including the ambassador and the Ukrainian community. We also have representatives from the Ukraine civil society forum who have done incredible work in co-ordinating and assisting with our response to this terrible war. In preparation for today's discussion and statements I was trying to cast my mind back to before 24 February 2022 and before the war. When we discuss historic wars we hear about the paradigm shift that happens. It really is hard to remember the time before it but it is nothing compared to the experience of those people in Ukraine and from Ukraine who are experiencing such a living hell right now, with loss of life and with families and communities torn apart. Right now 12 million people are displaced and almost 2 million children are in need of humanitarian assistance.”
“The vetoes and examples that have been used are completely exaggerated. Even in the hypothetical conversations we have been having in the last couple of weeks about peacekeepers potentially travelling to Ukraine in the scenario that peace is agreed there, I will always acknowledge that of course we would do so when that is agreed by both Ukraine and Russia. That points to the multilateralism that the UN holds. I will ask the question again. What efforts are being made to fix this from within the UN? I appreciate the Tánaiste is saying he does not think Russia would do so, but what efforts have been made? Have discussions and debates even been attempted by diplomats to try to find ways to maintain the multilateralism that is offered by the UN in our triple lock without having to walk away from the UN and try to find another replacement?”
“If the Tánaiste is suggesting the UN is not required as part of the triple lock, what will be the third component in addition to the Government and this Chamber?”
“It is great to hear the Tánaiste assert that he values neutrality. I appreciate it has not been a hidden reality. There is no hiding the fact the Government has put this on the table for quite a while. It is also a reality that both Government parties have moved their position from recognising the integral part played by the triple lock in Irish neutrality to now being on record as saying this is not the case and, similarly, walking away and retreating from what we have seen in a commitment to the multilateralism the UN mechanism offers towards one which now suggests it is not necessary. What will fill the void if the UN Security Council is so problematic? I believe it should be fixed from within the UN.”
“Irish neutrality is held dear by the people of Ireland. I am sure that, like mine, the Tánaiste's inbox is reflective of concerns about it. As we know, a proposal has gone to Cabinet to remove the triple lock. This is connected to neutrality. Will the Tánaiste please outline the proposal to remove the triple lock protection for approving overseas deployment of Irish troops? How does he propose to protect the integrity of Irish peacekeeping troops' operations maintained in the absence of UN approval?”
“The multinational tech company Meta has announced a new round of layoffs, with 5% of its workforce under threat. This is in the context of the chief executive of Meta, Mark Zuckerberg, abolishing equality, diversity and inclusion programmes, stopping fact checking on the Facebook platform and essentially bending the knee to Trump in the same way we saw Elon Musk do when he took over Twitter. There are reports in the press today that Irish employees of Meta are very concerned that they are being arbitrarily fired. This new round of layoffs is using performance management as window dressing when the company is engaging in arbitrary firings. Does the Taoiseach share the Social Democrats' concerns about the lurch to the right of these tech companies and the impact that this will potentially have on workers and customers of these platforms?”
“We have done nothing. When we talk about pornography, people immediately put forward the argument of free speech and the fact that pornography has been around for ages. We did not previously have what we have now, which is the ubiquity of pornography and the message it is sending to young men and women about how to behave in a sexual environment. Our young men are being exploited and groomed by figures in the online space who are having a significantly problematic impact on them. We need to address these matters and we can, as legislators, do so. I commend those people who work in this space and who, I believe, take on a role for which the State should have responsibility. I refer to the NGOs that support women in coming forward and rebuilding their lives.”
“I have been in the Dáil three months and have been called a girl multiple times by colleagues. This is not okay. We see on the Cabinet benches a dearth of women and on the Government benches an underrepresentation of women. All of this says to me that we are still a sexist society. We need to connect on the spectrum the sexism we experience with the misogyny that underpins it. I agree with the Minister for Justice that this is not just a legislative issue. It is a broader societal issue and we need to speak to it. There is plenty that we, as legislators, can do. I emphasise the need for more legislation in respect of the online space. I researched pornography and violent pornography and the impact they have on young children about ten years ago. At the time, there were tools being touted around age verification and so on.”
“We need to make sure these spaces are available so when women come forward they are met with a response that can support them. I want to focus on two words in the motion, namely "challenge misogyny". It is the reality that it is our patriarchal society in which we live that tolerates this misogyny. It perplexes me that we as policymakers and legislators do not connect enough the misogyny we see underlying domestic, sexual and gender-based violence with the everyday sexism that women experience and with the gender order that we simply tolerate in our society. It is the case that women are paid less, we take on more of the unpaid and underpaid care work in society, we have poorer outcomes when it comes to employment and we experience, as half of the population, everyday sexism in our day-to-day lives.”
“In my interaction of working with and speaking to those on the front line of dealing with domestic, sexual and gender-based violence, they described to me the fragility of the process that it takes women to come forward. When we see these problematic features of our justice system we can see how this fragility is shattered. Why would people come forward when they know they will be faced with this and when they know that prosecutions are so problematic? Of course, this fragility is exacerbated by things beyond the justice system. I call out particularly the accommodation issue. The Housing for All programme does not mention this matter. We know there are not refuges in enough counties to even meet the Istanbul Convention parameters.”
“I also welcome there is a focus on the justice system. Although we have seen improvements in recent years, and we have seen the establishment of Cuan, which needs the resources to match its remit, it is simply the reality that the justice system continues to retraumatise victims. The areas in which it specifically does so include, for example, character references and the release of counselling notes. It is important that we address the justice system and the retraumatisation of victims and survivors of domestic violence and instead create a pathway for them to access justice which is welcoming and assists and supports them the whole way through.”
“I thank Deputy Coppinger for using Private Members' time to introduce this very important motion and for providing an opportunity to discuss it. I also welcome that the Government will not oppose the motion, although I share the same scepticism and concerns that have been aired by colleagues to the effect that we really need to see action on this issue. This is a scourge on our society. It is a scourge of domestic, sexual and gender-based violence. The reality is that all of us know somebody who is either experiencing or has experienced gender-based violence, whether or not we know it. I commend the motion because it speaks to all four pillars of the Istanbul Convention. These are prevention, protection, prosecution of domestic and gender-based violence and the co-ordinated policies we need to mitigate it.”
“Ireland needs to play into its unique position where most tech giants are headquartered here; we need to have honest conversations about them as publishers and about their use of AI and technology more broadly to drive polarisation in society.”
“I love using technology but I do not love surveillance so I make sure I deploy my technology in a way that I am not surveilled. Most people do not have that level of sophistication so digital literacy has to keep up as we rely on AI. I will touch briefly on some of the recommendations the Social Democrats set out in our general election manifesto. I would be delighted to speak to the Minister of State about these in more detail as she gets going on her brief. An AI committee must be established to deal with this because it is such a cross-Government issue. There needs to be more honest conversation about labour displacement plans and really thinking about the massive scale of retraining that will be required.”
“It also removes access to justice for people because if there is no human behind the decision being made it is very difficult for people who feel they have been wrongly decided against to find accountability for those decisions. Those safeguards are not there and the structures are not in place to actually deploy this in a way I believe is yet safe. Disinformation, misinformation and malinformation are huge threats to our democracy, rule of law and political stability as a country and as a globe. We all know this as elected representatives. We all have experienced some of this. It will only worsen with deepfakes becoming more and more sophisticated and we have to be really live to it. Underlying all of this is digital literacy. As I mentioned earlier, I am a techie.”
“We should look at really big societal questions such as the identity we have with labour. We should look at a reduction of working time, for example, working towards four-day weeks. We should look at universal basic income and tools that will allow that safety net for us to transition because otherwise we will see a continued erosion and precarity of labour because of the displacement we are experiencing from this. The next thing I want to call out is algorithmic decision-making. Another Government speaker spoke about this issue but I have huge problems with it. We have seen cases emerge in both the UK and the Netherlands where algorithmic decision-making is used in the provision of public services and it leads to bias and discrimination. We know this. We know the tools are not there yet to deal with this efficiently.”
“We have heard that displacement of labour is one of the big challenges. I find it interesting that the last Government speaker agreed with what the Taoiseach said yesterday that AI will bring about the fourth industrial revolution. We will see labour displacement at a rate we have not seen in generations and yet he said that robots will not take our jobs. Robots will take our jobs. Any jobs that are text-based, such as middle class professions like solicitors, journalists and so on, will be impacted as generative AI develops over the coming five, ten or 20 years. There is no question about that. We have to deal with that head on. We have to deal with it in the most positive way we can by saying that these efficiencies actually should allow us more time as a society for leisure.”
“I will speak briefly about regulation before I talk about some of those challenges that really keep me awake at night. We have regulation at domestic and EU level. We have started to see the legislating of this space in terms of the Online Safety and Media Regulation Act and the Digital Services Act. Both of those are good steps but nowhere near where we need to be. Similar to the legislation we have seen in the EU with the Digital Services Act and the AI Act, both were watered down to a point where I believe that, once again, we are seeing this industry emphasis and not the impact we know AI will have on society. In a parliamentary question response I received this week I discovered it seems we will be opting out of the section in the AI Act on law enforcement's use of AI. I would love to hear more about whether that is the case.”
“I cannot be positive about the impact of AI until I am secure in that regulatory framework, until I feel that the right safeguards and the right controls are in place for us to use AI without the dangers it presents. Dúirt an Taoiseach inné go raibh rogha idir dul i ngleic le hathrú aeráide agus poist a chosaint. Is drochshampla é sin. Ní rogha idir ceann amháin nó ceann eile í. Níl poist á gcosaint againn trí easpa rialacháin. The Taoiseach, yesterday, positioned it as a choice between regulation and protection of jobs, which is problematic. That is not how we need to think about it. We have to introduce regulations, not in a way to prevent jobs or job creation but in a way to protect against the precarity we will see otherwise. Again, it speaks to that imbalance between industry and societal interests.”