Lenihan warns media on privacy issue

Minister for Justice Brian Lenihan has warned he will introduce legislation to protect the privacy of individuals if the media fails to show respect for this right.

Speaking last night at the formal launch of the new Press Council of Ireland and the Office of the Press Ombudsman, Mr Lenihan called for the new system of press regulation to "prove the sceptics wrong" at an early date.

While it amounted to "a good day for the media and for democracy", it was essential that the new arrangements for accountability got off to a good start and gained the confidence of the public.

A new era of press regulation began this month with the opening of the ombudsman's office, which will handle complaints by members of the public against the press. The ombudsman says it has already received "a handful" of complaints.

Both bodies are funded by the print industry but say they will act independently of it. However, Mr Lenihan said that, notwithstanding the independence of the council and the ombudsman, the model of accountability involved was on "the light side of the scale".

Not all his Cabinet colleagues showed "boundless enthusiasm" when he decided to park the privacy Bill in order to allow the council prove its effectiveness.

"Members of the public are also concerned about this tendency and I am bound to make it clear to you that if the media fails to show respect for the right to privacy as specified in its own code of practice, the Government will have no choice but to proceed with its privacy legislation."

Mr Lenihan said he was keen to proceed with the early enactment of the defamation Bill to bed down reform of the libel laws.