Seán Sherlock (Cork East, Labour) | Oireachtas source

There is no bespoke funding line. Are there any funding lines from industry? For instance, is there any funding from the bodies represented by the Internet Service Providers Association of Ireland, which is a global body, or from any of the top global Internet-based companies, nine out of the top 10 of which have facilities in Ireland? Has Dr. Brennan, or anyone from the academic side, approached these companies and told them that they need to start cutting checks? Forgive me if I mix up qualitative and quantitative research. It is okay to do a kind of surface mapping of Whatsapp, but to drill down one needs proper quantitative analysis of what exactly is happening in this field. Good research leads to good policy. Has the Government made any funding available in this space through the Department of Justice and Equality? It seems to me that for small amounts of money - a grant of €10,000 here, a €50,000 grant there - a very solid research platform could be created within the academic field, where there is collaboration between UCC, DIT and so on.