Ned O'Sullivan (Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

I raised the matter earlier this week of the obscene literature we have been receiving, which resonated with other Members. To my surprise, it resonated with my electorate, namely, county councillors who are in touch with me on matters such as this. Whether they were for or against the legislation, many of them were upset by the obscenity of the stuff they are getting through the post, which I had not been aware of. When someone stands for election to a town council, county council, the Seanad or the Dáil, he or she is obliged to comply with a great deal of red tape regarding campaign expenditure. We are all aware of the plethora of forms we have to fill about what we spent, where we got the funding and so on. The Standards in Public Office Commission and so on are involved. The two sides are spending a great deal of money campaigning on the Protection of Life During Pregnancy Bill 2013. The pro-life side is spending much more than the pro-choice side. It is an understatement to say the pro-life side is spending at least as much as my party would spend on a general election campaign. Should groups such as these, which are specific to legislation of this magnitude, have to comply with the rigid investigation and scrutiny to which we are subject?