Imelda Munster (Louth, Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

All right. Moving to the working group, therein lies the problem, does it not? It is the monitoring and the platforms themselves taking action in sufficient time to prevent events spiralling out of control. I was just reading the group's submission. Towards the end it states:

The Working Group is in the process of developing a national strategy. The purpose of which is not to decide what is and isn't disinformation. Neither is it to call for new legislation. The purpose of the strategy is to adopt a rights-based approach to countering disinformation and encourage cross-sector cooperation, collaboration and coordination to achieve better outcomes all round.

That is lovely, flowery, catch-all language, but in real terms what does it mean? It is nondescript and non-specific. It does not give comfort. It seems the group is not there to make recommendations, decide what is or is not disinformation or call for new legislation. Ms Chapman can look at the Garda submission and what is going on day to day. She is saying before her report is finished that it is not her role to recommend legislation, but what if something comes to the fore that indicates we actually have to implement this and it needs enforcement as opposed to a recommendation? If only we had a penny for every time recommendations were made in this State that were so loose they were not worth the paper they are written on. Consequently, for the working group to be set up and state that making recommendations or calling for new legislation will not be an outcome does not give us much confidence, does it? As I said, it is flowery, catch-all language.