Leo Varadkar (Dublin West, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

That is a good question. There are many lessons. One particular lesson that might be learned is that in politics and when it comes to the reform of Departments, the Civil Service and public service, any time one tries to do anything new or different, inevitably there will be controversy. I am not sure if the Deputy recalls that merriornstreet.iewas established in 2010. The Government of the time - the Deputy was then a backbencher - had the newfangled idea - God forbid - that it should have a news service and a website with videos. Actually the debate at the time was very similar. There were conspiracy theories and allegations, as well as paranoia, except that the shoe was on the other foot and it was people in my party who were saying the kind of things members of the Deputy's party are now saying. I think the lesson is that any time one tries to do anything new, particularly in the communications and media space, it will generate a degree of political paranoia, controversy and conspiracy theories.