Fianna Fáil TD steps down as Oireachtas committee chair following drink driving arrest

The Wicklow-Wexford politician was stopped by gardaí in Dublin City centre last week, where he was asked to take a breathalyser test

Malcolm Byrne from Fianna Fáil had been travelling to Dublin Airport when he stopped at a mandatory garda checkpoint in Dublin city centre, close to his hotel.
 

Fianna Fáil TD Malcolm Byrne has stepped down as chair of an Oireachtas committee after being arrested on suspicion of drink driving last week.

Mr Byrne said he was deciding to stand aside to allow his fellow committee members to continue their work without "unnecessary distraction".

The Wicklow-Wexford politician was stopped by gardaí in Dublin City centre at around 5am on Thursday morning of last week, where he was asked to take a breathalyser test.

When this failed test came back, he opted to go to a nearby garda station to provide a urine sample. It is understood that the results of this sample have yet to come back.

Mr Byrne had been travelling to Dublin Airport when he stopped at a mandatory garda checkpoint in Dublin city centre, close to his hotel.

In a statement issued on Thursday evening, Mr Byrne confirmed that he has decided to step down as Chair of the Joint Oireachtas Committee on Artificial Intelligence.

"I am stepping down totally without prejudice to the ongoing legal process arising from my arrest on suspicion of drink driving. There is no further movement on this issue. This decision to step down is 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."

Mr Byrne said he is "cooperating fully" with the garda investigation, which remains ongoing.

"I will remain an active member of the Committee, which I campaigned to have established, and 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," Mr Byrne said.