TECHNOLOGY

Find out more about the Irish contribution to making this Europe’s Digital Decade

TECHNOLOGY2022 was a significant year for the development of Irish digital policy, following the publication of Harnessing Digital: The Digital Ireland Framework in February. Then came four separate strategies under the Framework’s four pillars: digitalisation of enterprise, digitalisation of the public sector, connectivity and skills. Following the recent publication of the Progress Report on Harnessing Digital, the Government’s attention is now focused on implementation and the achievement of targets to ensure that Ireland embraces the digital transition. This takes place under the EU’s Digital Compass, which aims to make the decade to 2030 a digital one across the Union. Ahead of the publication of the Digital Economy and Society Index (DESI) in June of 2023, Ireland will be seeking to make progress on all four policy pillars.

The major policy development in the technology space in Ireland will be the establishment of Coimisiún na Meán (Media Commission), which will become the regulator for online safety and media regulation, as well as the Digital Services Act in Ireland. Furthermore, the National Cyber Security Centre will see legislation to set it on a statutory footing, as well as a revised National Cyber Security Strategy.

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Legislation

Communications Regulation Bill 2022 navigates Oireachtas following TRIS notification and signature of a Statutory Instrument in parallel to transpose the EECC
Publication of the General Scheme of the Health Information Bill
General Scheme of the Policing, Security and Community Safety Bill undergoes Pre-Legislative Scrutiny

Government Announcements

Coimisiún na Meán (Media Commission) established and Online Safety Commissioner appointed
Tender announcement for the new Government Data Centre
Digital connectivity to be delivered to all Connected Hubs and all Schools by 2023
Launch of an awareness-raising campaign for the digitalisation of business with a digital portal
Implementation of the White Paper on Enterprise 2022-2023 commences
Commencement of Economic and Social Research Institute (ESRI) research into the positive and negative impacts of digital technological changes on sustainability
Consultation on the midterm review of the National Cyber Security Strategy 2019-2024 launched
Conclusion of the Ireland/OECD Skills Strategy Review in March
2023 ICT Apprenticeship Programme launched in Q1

Government Publications:

Action Plan on the development of High-Level Digital Skills, Digital Skills for the Labour Market and Digital Skills for Society to be published
Publication of the new Digital Healthcare Framework 2023-2027
Department of Tourism, Culture, Arts, Gaeltacht, Sport and Media publishes National Counter-Disinformation Strategy
STEM Education Implementation Plan to 2026 published
Publication of a Digital Inclusion Roadmap

European Level

Transposition/Implementation of the Digital Services Act; Digital Markets Act; Terrorist Content Online Regulation at Irish level
Regulations being negotiated at EU level include the Data Act; AI Act; AI Liability Directive and Product Liability Directive; and a proposed Regulation on Preventing and Combatting Child Sexual Abuse Material

EU celebrates 30 years of the Single Market
European Commission publishes a Directive to further expand and upgrade the use of digital tools and processes in company law

INSIGHT

The publication and passage of the Communications Regulation Bill will bring Ireland up to speed with EU legislation in the telecommunications space.

Government will be keen to progress on the four pillars of the National Digital Strategy in order to achieve its goals by 2030.

Legislation

Publication of legislation to establish the National Cyber Security Centre on a statutory basis

Government Announcements

Joint Security Operations Centre at the National Cyber Security Centre commissioned
Midterm review of the National Cyber Security Strategy 2019-2024 concluded
First Progress Report for 2022 under Impact 2030: Ireland’s Research and Innovation Strategy published
National Literacy & Numeracy and Digital Literacy Strategy published

European Level:

Policy initiative on virtual worlds, such as the metaverse
Policy on a common European mobility data space
Recommendation on piracy of live content
Digital euro, Revision of EU rules on payment services

INSIGHT

The development of the National Cyber Security Centre (NCSC) and Ireland’s cyber capabilities more broadly has grown as a priority since the cyberattack on the health service in 2021. Government is keen to strengthen the NCSC via legislation.

Legislation

Budget 2024 and Finance Bill 2023
Application of the EU Data Governance Act from September 2023

Government Announcements

Establishment of a new statutory agency with responsibility for policy and for service delivery for Domestic and Gender Based Violence under the aegis of the Department of Justice
Implementation of a new Public Warning System (PWS) for Government to text mobile phone users
Funding under Budget 2024 to support the design and development of the National Health Information Authority

Government Publications

Publication of a National Cyber Security Centre Technology Strategy
Climate Action Plan 2023

European Level

Spanish Presidency of the Council commences
Publication of the DESI Index

INSIGHT

For Q3, Government seeks to provide funding for eHealth initiatives such as a new National Health Information Authority, as it looks to enhance the use of data in the health service to tackling significant waiting lists.

Government Announcements

Government aims to ensure the delivery of digital connectivity to Broadband Connection Points and all Schools within the NBP intervention area by no later than 2023
High-speed broadband connectivity to up to 1,600 schools throughout the State by 2023
Completion of the retrofit of Tom Johnson House, the premises for the Department of the Environment, Climate and Communications to an A2 energy rating standard
All plant, mechanical and electrical components of the Government Data Centre facility are due for completion and handover to the Office of Public Works
The Government will have purchased at least 18 5G compute nodes by Q4 2023
Completion of the building and configuration of the core technical IT functionality for a digital hospital ePharmacy solution
The National Cyber Security Centre will conduct an assessment of the implementation of the baseline cyber security standards
Publication of the Progress Report on the National Digital Strategy

INSIGHT

End-2023 marks the key delivery targets for the National Broadband Plan, the Digital Schools Strategy, the new headquarters for the Department of the Environment, Climate and Communications and the Government Data Centre.