Tommy Broughan (Dublin Bay North, Independent)
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309. To ask the Minister for Housing, Planning, and Local Government the guidelines and monitoring for information and graphics displayed on billboards, posters and so on at referenda and elections in view of the plan to hold a referendum; if this is governed by legislation or statutory instrument which includes processes for persons who wish to make complaints regarding material on such billboards, posters and so on; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [6244/18]

John Paul Phelan (Carlow-Kilkenny, Fine Gael)
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Section 140 of the Electoral Act 1992 (as amended) provides that every notice, bill, poster or similar document having reference to a Dáil election or distributed for the purpose of furthering the candidature of any candidate at a Dáil election shall bear upon its face the name and address of the printer and of the publisher thereof. Section 6 of the Referendum Act 1994 (as amended) provides that these requirements also apply to every notice, bill, poster or similar document used during a referendum campaign.

The Electoral Acts do not regulate the content of advertising for political purposes, including election posters, either within or outside of electoral or referendum campaigns. However, one of the main functions of a Referendum Commission, which is an independent body established under section 2 of the Referendum Act 1998, is to explain the subject matter of referendum proposals and communicate these explanations to the electorate.