Mr. Art O'Leary:

I will respond briefly. Mr. Ryan might say something about the update on the conversations with the European Commission.

As the Leas-Chathaoirleach knows, Parts 4 and 5 of the legislation have yet to be commenced but the thrust of what was desired by the Houses of the Oireachtas was very clear. From reading the legislation, people and Members wanted greater transparency in this area. There is much to be said about online political advertising. We will learn from experience because the platforms develop so quickly. We are prepared to regulate in this area as soon as Part 4 is commenced along the lines of whatever the legislation is. We all probably agree that transparency is a good thing. People need to identify who is paying for and benefiting from ads and particularly, as mentioned, what cohort or segment of society is being targeted by these ads. I have no doubt it is an area that will come up in our research programme. It is something we are prepared to be ambitious about in how we tackle it.

On the postering issue, the Leas-Chathaoirleach has given the reasons for and against postering. The academics who have expressed a strong view on this area believe they are very important, as he said, to introduce new candidates. The incumbents have an advantage, in that they tend to be well-known figures in their community. Posters are a way of introducing the face of somebody who puts his or her head above the parapet for the first time. Perhaps there is merit in that argument. It will not come as a surprise that some people only discover electoral events are on when they see posters up on lampposts, and they say, "Wow. Is there something going on here?". It is something people in Leinster House and its environs find hard to understand but it is a fact. The downside is the proliferation of posters, the damage to the environment and all that comes with it. It is a priority issue in our draft research programme. We were asked by the Minister to treat it as a priority. We will look at the issue in the early part of the new year with an urgency to make sure-----