National Competent Authorities

Ireland has adopted a distributed model of competent authorities for the EU AI Act, with the AI Office of Ireland providing coordination and a number of centralised functions. The principle of the distributed model means that any new regulatory function must be aligned with existing policy remits and areas of responsibility/expertise and incorporated within existing regulatory structures to maintain regulatory coherence and efficiency.

Ireland has to date designated the following national competent authorities for oversight and enforcement of the EU AI Act in Ireland:

Central Bank of Ireland

The Central Bank is designated as the market surveillance authority for certain prohibited practices and for high-risk AI systems.

Coimisiún na Meán

Coimisiún na Meán are Ireland’s agency for developing and regulating a thriving, diverse, creative, safe and trusted media landscape.

ComReg

ComReg is the market surveillance authority (MSA) and national competent authority in Ireland under point 6 of Annex I of the EU Artificial Intelligence Act, Regulation (EU) 2024/1689 for AI systems used as safety components in radio equipment pursuant to the Radio Equipment Directive 2014/53/EU, as amended. Radio equipment is any electrical or electronic product which intentionally emits radio waves for the purpose of radiocommunication and / or radio-determination.

Commission for Railway Regulation

The CRR is an independent regulatory body functioning as Ireland's National Safety and Competent Authority for rail transport, licensing, and market access.

Commission for Regulation of Utilities

The Commission for Regulation of Utilities (CRU) is Ireland’s independent energy and water regulator.

Competition and Consumer Protection Commission

The Competition and Consumer Protection Commission (CCPC) is designated as a market surveillance authority under the EU AI Act in respect of certain high-risk AI systems referred to in Annex I.

Data Protection Commission

The DPC is competent as a Market Surveillance Authority for certain prohibited AI practices and certain High-Risk AI use cases.

Health and Safety Authority

The Health and Safety Authority has been designated as one of the market surveillance authorities under the EU AI Act with responsibility for AI Safety Systems for six of the union harmonised legal instruments listed in Section A, Annex I of the AI Act.

Health Products Regulatory Authority

The HPRA is the regulatory body responsible for monitoring the safety and performance of medical devices and in-vitro diagnostic medical devices (IVDs) in Ireland.

Health Services Executive

The HSE’s vision is for a healthier Ireland, with a high-quality health service valued by all.

Marine Survey Office of the Department of Transport

The Marine Survey Office (MSO) Administration - provides the necessary support to the Marine Survey Office (MSO) to fulfil its role as the maritime transport regulator.

National Transport Authority

NTA is responsible for developing and implementing strategies to provide high quality, accessible, sustainable transport across Ireland.

Workplace Relations Commission

The WRC supervises the deployment and usage of AI Systems in the Irish labour market.