McDowell to float plans for press council

The Minister for Justice, Mr McDowell, will bring forward legislative proposals shortly for the establishment of a press council, the Dáil was told.

The Tánaiste, Ms Harney, said the Minister had told the Cabinet yesterday at its weekly meeting that he would bring forward proposals soon.

"He will have a number of meetings in the next few days on this issue," she said.

The Fine Gael leader, Mr Enda Kenny, had asked during the Order of Business when such proposals were likely to be seen. "In view of the increasing incidence of invasion of people's privacy, what is the status of the ministerial proposal to establish a press council?" he asked.

The proposal is expected to be part of the Defamation Bill currently being drawn up by the Department of Justice.

The issue of privacy had surfaced in the media in the past few days, with calls for a debate on the direction the print media, in particular, were taking, Mr Kenny said.

A number of celebrities had spoken on the RTÉ radio programme Liveline about being "stalked" by photographers and misrepresented and misquoted by journalists.

Mr McDowell had said in December that he favoured a voluntary press council, backed by statutory powers, to sanction publications that breach privacy guidelines.

He had said it would be a "toothless dog" without the statutory powers.

There was a need for a form of regulation which was effective and in which the public could have confidence, the Fine Gael leader said.

Last year, the Minister had initiated a public consultation process on the new legislation and had met the Press Industry Steering Committee to discuss its proposals for a press ombudsman and press council.

He said he would prefer an independent press council, not government-appointed, but broadly representative of civic society and not a media "old boys' club".

Mugged by the press: Opinion, page 16