Eoin Ó Broin (Dublin Mid West, Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

If we were having a conversation say about short-term letting, those issues would very much be live because the latter is a commercial activity and the EU has very specific competence in areas of that nature, which is why we have the e-commerce directive. The European Union has no competence in the context of how we manage and run our electoral system. Again, I am aware Mr. Ryan cannot tell me what the Attorney General may or may not have advised but was legal opinion sought by the Department to see, specifically on the regulation of online activity during elections as elections, that this was subject to the same provisions of the e-commerce directive as other areas of commercial activity? It seems to be quite a distinct area and one for which the European Union has no responsibility or competence.