Eamon Ryan (Dublin Bay South, Green Party) | Oireachtas source

I agree with the Tánaiste that much of the advertising could be beneficial. I would not look for a ban on political advertising. The work carried out by the Transparent Referendum Initiative showed that roughly half the adverts were about getting people involved, encouraging people to do fundraisers or come along canvassing. Whichever side one is on, that is a good thing. This is why I think this referendum campaign could set a standard or lessons can be learned that would be applicable not just here but across the world. As a country with a very large digital industry and a real interest in getting the standards and proper organisation right, we need to work as a common voice to say to the companies that they should use this an example of good practice and learn the lessons that could be applied elsewhere.

We have Deputy Lawless's legislation, which we must put through in the meantime. To be honest, the companies were in a difficult situation because they made calls in the absence of any real rules. We must put the rules in place fairly quickly. It is one of the jobs this House must do, but I take it from the Tánaiste's response that he is supportive of the broad call, that it is not a contentious or divisive issue and that it is not even a divisive issue between the political system and the companies because it is an opportunity to set standards and to show as a country how this might be done. This would be a useful signal for the rest of the world as well as to the rest of us at home. Can I get the Tánaiste's support for that motion on the Order Paper? He can read it if he wants to come back to me. Will he give such support to that call?

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