The Taoiseach Leo Varadkar has said social media posts that incite hatred and violence should be taken down by the companies that provide platforms for their publication.

He was speaking following the fallout from a recent farm eviction in Strokestown in Co Roscommon.

Mr Varadkar said it is unacceptable that social media companies are not held accountable for posts that stir up violence.

He said it is something the Government will be looking at in the new year.

"Social media posts like that - they're incitement to hatred, and they're incitement to violence.

"If you were a publisher of a newspaper or broadcaster you wouldn't be allowed to promote that kind of stuff and you'd be held accountable for it.

"Social media companies don't seem to think that they're in any way accountable.

"I know they can't control the posts that people put up on websites or on social networks - but they can take them down".

"That fact that they don't take down posts that incite hate and incite violence is just unacceptable in my view.

"So what we need to work out is what's the best and most effective way of changing that.

"One of the things we're working on is a Digital Safety Commissioner.

"We could so that in 2019, but we just would need to be sure that it would actually be effective".