Catherine Martin, the minister for tourism, culture, arts, Gaeltacht, sport and media, yesterday signed a ministerial order establishing the new regulatory body on a statutory basis with effect from 15 March 2023.

She also signed a ministerial order commencing the sections of the Online Safety and Media Regulation Act 2022 necessary to allow Coimisiún na Meán to develop a regulatory framework for online safety and broadcasting and video on-demand services..

Ms Martin said: “Today marks another milestone in our modernisation of the regulation of the media and digital services in Ireland. In the coming years, Coimisiún na Meán will play a vital role as both a regulatory body and media development agency.

“The ministerial orders I have signed today will not only formally establish Coimisiún na Meán as a statutory body, but will confer it with the powers necessary to begin the work of protecting people in Ireland as we interact with one another in the online world.

“We want Ireland to be known for the effective and fair regulation of media and digital services. The establishment of Coimisiún na Meán marks an important step in this direction.”