TDs could soon filter their email accounts to avoid complaints being made by the public

What’s the best way to deal with complaints made by the public? Simply mark them as spam so you don’t have to read them, apparently.

The Irish Examiner reports today that proposals to filter emails sent to TD in order to prevent “waste” from clogging up their inbox are being seriously considered following a recent avalanche of complaints. Yep. The public has been complaining, so naturally, rather than address their complaints the easiest thing to do is to just hit the spam button and watch it disappear from your email.

An overhaul of TD email systems was discussed by an Oireachtas committee that is responsible for recommending changes and savings for Lenister House.

The Irish Examiner claims that several TDs have told the paper that they have received hundreds of complaints by email. The issues that the public is concerned about? Apparently online copyright laws, septic tanks, the Vatican and Anglo Irish Banks are just some of the subjects being complained about. TDs have said that sometimes they can receive hundreds of email complaints in one day. It must be incredibly taxing having to ignore all those emails…

A presentation was given to members of the Joint Administration Committee by Charles Hearne, head of ICT at Leinster House. In his presentation, Mr Hearne said that  restrictions could be made to the email systems in the future.

“There’s a lot of irrelevant stuff for us, or members who do not want it coming in. ICT are teasing it out and asked us if we are prepared to make decisions. If changes are made it will have to be across the board,” one anonymous committee member told the paper.

“Some TDs felt that if we did that it would interfere with people’s right to protest, to democracy. If we blocked some, there’s a fear we could be accused of censorship,” they added.

How would you feel if you found out your complaints to a TD were being blocked and not taken seriously?