Simon Coveney (Cork South Central, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

There is an interdepartmental group on the security of Ireland's electoral process and disinformation. It was established earlier in the year and is being led by the Department of the Taoiseach. The group includes representatives from the Departments of Housing, Planning and Local Government, Communications, Climate Action and Environment, Foreign Affairs and Trade, Justice and Equality, Business, Enterprise and Innovation, Education and Skills and Defence, An Garda Síochána and the Defence Forces. We have already an active conversation at quite a high level in government. The group is expected to report shortly. It would certainly be helpful if other activity were taking place. In the case mentioned by the Deputy, such activity is being led by UCD. It would be helpful if Facebook and Google were to co-operate with studies of this sort. They are really about informing policymakers in future in order that we might make appropriate decisions. I would certainly encourage large social media platform companies to supply as much information as they can in order that we might make informed decisions in future.

See this speech in context