Jim O'Callaghan (Dublin Bay South, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

We do not have a crime of bullying, but we do have an offence of harassment, as Dr. McIntyre mentioned. Perhaps part of the reason there has been delay on the part of the Garda in investigating and prosecuting online racial abuse is that the Act requires something to be happening persistently. It is an indication that the Act needs to be updated. A once-off activity or communication is not sufficient to constitute an offence under the Act. Is a once-off act of bullying sufficient to require the law to intervene?