The Chairman of the Oireachtas Committee on Communications, Mr Noel O'Flynn, today called for legislation to introduce a statutory body to monitor Internet and mobile phone content in Ireland.
"The Internet and modern mobile phone technology can provide a dangerous maze of unsuitable content, particularly for children and it is time to attack this issue head on," he said.
"My Committee will take the lead in examining this country's fight against illegal, harmful and unwanted content," the Fianna Fáil deputy added.
The Oireachtas Communications Committee has invited representatives from the Department of Justice, RegTel, the Internet Advisory Board, the Internet Service Providers' Association, the Irish Cellular Industry Association and IBEC, to demonstrate the measures each group has in place to promote safer use of the Internet.
The committee begins sitting on Wednesday week and Mr O'Flynn says he is "determined to bring about changes with legislation and funding to ensure exposure to unsuitable content is curtailed".
In January 2005 a four year cross-EU programme, Safer Internet Plus, will come into effect and the committee will examine how much of the programme's €50 million budget Irish companies are set to receive.
Mr O'Flynn also said that every EU country must take responsibility for promoting safer Internet and mobile phone practices and that Ireland should take the lead if necessary.
He said there a number of "guardian" software products which the industry should investigate more thoroughly in an effort to find solutions to unsavoury content appearing on mobile phopnes and the Internet.