Professor Louise Crowley:

I thank Senator Byrne for his questions, which get to the nub of some of the key issues. In respect of his suggestion on an individual complaints mechanism, we need to think about the role of lawmaking within an individual jurisdiction. That is crucial because without that we are beholden to the policies of individual platform owners. They have their own interests and priorities in the commercial world. If we are creating a framework to respond to the needs of all citizens who might be affected by this type of behaviour and asserting Ireland's position as regards the importance of protecting service users from the abuse experienced by Ms O'Sullivan, a complaints mechanism could be established within the proposed legislation to give power back to Ireland and lawmakers. It could be a very proactive, positive statement by the Government that the opportunity to make a complaint to an Irish body, established with a view to protecting individuals, is a very meaningful and accessible mechanism.

A key issue, as Ms O'Sullivan said, is knowing what box to tick and what category a person comes under. We could be very considered in creating an individual complaints mechanism that we have spoken about. We would present it in a way that is compassionate to the person who is probably going through one of the most traumatic moments of his or her life and is looking for answers. The challenge with that, as is the case for any support guidelines or rules that might exist, is that people are trawling through volumes of information to try to find an answer. A very accessible and clear means of making a complaint to an Irish body charged with ensuring protection for users would be a very important statement and mechanism for those seeking support.