Seán Sherlock (Cork East, Labour)

I listened to the Deputy. People speak about the cost of defence. Just because one applies for an injunction, the judge will not necessarily grant it. We must have regard for the rights of individual companies to conduct their business and for citizens to express themselves freely. Nobody is trampling on those rights. This statutory instrument restates a position which we already held prior to the Charleton judgment.

It is important that all the stakeholders sit down with each other to chart a strategy on how this space will operate in the future. In the context of the disparate nature of the users and businesses that operate in this space, it is incumbent on us to chart a way forward. I would be delighted to make myself available to facilitate that process. As recently as this morning, there was engagement with the Internet community through the Irish Internet Association as one of the stakeholders. We are open to that discussion.

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