Donnchadh Ó Laoghaire (Cork South Central, Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

I would like to reinforce that. A thread is emerging in this debate that rather than going out and canvassing during elections or gathering data, candidates should stay behind closed doors and pray for people to vote for them. No one is suggesting that. We are trying to ensure that we comply with an EU law that will have a direct effect, and where people hold data around political opinions and constituents' issues, they must mind it carefully, delete it where appropriate and have proper consent for it.

In that regard, if a person repeatedly receives letters that he or she considers nuisance mail, it is reasonable for that person to have the right to say that he or she does not wish to receive such mail. Democracy in this country is more feeble than I thought if such a right is considered a threat to it.