Martin Conway (Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

Yesterday, it was 30 years since the coming into existence of the worldwide web. It has fundamentally and radically changed the world. It has created a platform on which people can access information. It leads to equality of access and assists with equality of opportunity for all citizens. However, it has its downsides also. It provides a platform for hate speech and all sorts of other ugly and nasty things. Now that we are 30 years into the life of the worldwide web, it would be timely to have a debate on policing the Internet and how to do so in Ireland. Perhaps, when the House comes back after Easter, the Leader will explore the possibility of a debate on policing the worldwide web and how we can work with other jurisdictions in that regard.

Finally, I note that a lady who has worked with Senator Colm Burke and I for the last year and a half is leaving this week. I wish her all the best on behalf of Senator Burke and myself. She worked in the Oireachtas for the last year and a half, following in the footsteps of her great-grandfather, William F. O’Donnell, who was a Deputy in the 1940s, dying in office in 1947.