Malcolm Byrne steps down as committee chairman after drink-driving arrest
By Bairbre Holmes, Press Association
Fianna Fáil’s Malcolm Byrne has stepped down as chairman of the Oireachtas Committee on AI after he confirmed he was arrested by gardaí last week on suspicion of drink driving.
In a statement on Thursday night, the Wicklow-Wexford TD said he was doing so “totally without prejudice to the ongoing legal process”, adding “there is no further movement on this issue”.
Previously, Byrne said he was arrested early on May 28th while he was travelling from a hotel in Dublin to Dublin Airport.
He said he was stopped at a mandatory Garda checkpoint in the city centre, close to the hotel, and was subsequently arrested on suspicion of drink driving.
He informed Fianna Fáil of his arrest on Thursday morning immediately after it happened, he added.
In his statement, Byrne said the decision to step down from the committee was “entirely my own”.
“Given the seriousness of the matter, my deep respect for my fellow committee members, and despite my strong personal and professional commitment to this area, I believe this is the right course of action to protect the committee’s important work and ensure it can continue without any unnecessary distraction.”
He said the Garda investigation “remains ongoing” and he is “cooperating fully with that process”, adding “it would not be appropriate for me to comment further on that matter at this time”.
“I will remain an active member of the committee, which I campaigned to have established,” he said, adding, “I will fully support the vice-chair and any new chair appointed in continuing its important work”.
“Our committee works in a collegial and collaborative way, and our recommendations have influenced government’s approach to this transformative technology. Next week, we will publish our second interim report.”
“I look forward to continuing my work as a member of the committee and to continuing to write and speak about AI. Next week, I will also move Second Stage of the Protection of Voice and Image Bill, which I introduced in the Dáil.”
