Garret Ahearn (Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I will pick up on Ms Plunkett's point at the end when she said it was possible to work from home for Christmas Day in 2019. I assume the content to be seen on Christmas Day is not any lighter than on at any other time. Therefore, if contract moderators are able to work from home on Christmas Day, Facebook's argument regarding not being able to work from home for the other 364 days of the year does not stack up.

I thank Ms Crider, Ms Ní Bhrógáin and Ms Plunkett, in particular, for their contributions. It is incredibly tough to hear about their experiences. Several of the questions I was going to ask have been asked. The answers have given rise to more questions for Facebook and the service providers than for the witnesses. It is important in that regard that we bring representatives from Facebook and the service providers before the committee to be accountable for the decisions made by those companies.

I do a good deal of work on mental health and services for people in communities, and I cannot think of anyone I dealt with who would have to deal with challenges from a mental health perspective more than Ms Plunkett would regarding the content she must see. Services are available for doctors, nurses and gardaí to enable them to cope with the traumatic situations they have to deal with, not necessarily daily but certainly regularly. Ms Plunkett, however, knows she has to deal with such situations daily. I do not know how she does it, to be perfectly honest. I commend her on what she is doing. It is phenomenal.

The advice that seems to be coming from Facebook in respect of not speaking to family members and not reaching out to support groups flies in the face of the view of how to cope with mental health challenges, which is all about opening up, speaking out and sharing experiences, pressures and problems. Facebook must be accountable regarding the advice it is giving, because it goes against all the advice that anyone working in the area of mental health would give to someone who must deal with the kinds of pressures Ms Plunkett faces.

I will not ask the same questions as those that have been asked and answered already. On staffing levels, however, what is the timeframe for most people who last in the job? What is the turnover of staff like? I ask the question especially because it seems to be a profession where no support is forthcoming from the employer and, therefore, one that is very difficult to stay in for a long time. I sense that the only reason someone would stay in this job for a long time is for financial or personal reasons. That is the option as they see it from a personal perspective, however, that is probably not good from a long-term mental health perspective. I ask Ms Plunkett to comment on that aspect.

In addition, regarding reaching out and trying to talk to people, do moderators speak to each other about the pressures they are under and the content they must deal with? Wellness coaches are good, and I am sure there are fine people in those roles, but that is a general chit-chat. It is not a constant review weekly of how moderators are coping with the challenges they face. If organisations and companies were taking this issue seriously, it should be addressed and dealt with specifically once every five days. I have gone on for a little bit, but I feel there is an accountability issue here. I would like to hear Ms Plunkett's view on the turnover of staff, the pressures they are under and how long people can last in such an environment when the requisite supports are clearly not in place.