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THE PRESS Council of Ireland will be formally recognised by law as the press council under the terms of an order which will go to the Dáil and Seanad for approval, Minister for Justice Dermot Ahern said yesterday.

Mr Ahern said the application from the Press Council of Ireland, established two years ago, had been examined with reference to the requirements in schedule 2 of the Act and that he was satisfied the application met those requirements. “These requirements involve the objectives of the press council, its composition, its independence, the appointment of independent directors, financial arrangements, the role and operation of the Office of Press Ombudsman and a code of standards,” Mr Ahern said.