Michael McGrath (Cork South Central, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

If the balance of views being given in a national newspaper, albeit reflective of the submissions being made to Mr. O'Regan and the material being submitted, is on one side of an argument rather the other, that can influence public opinion. Mr. O'Regan stated at the outset that there was no conscious effort on his part or on the part of the newspaper to fuel what has been described as the property boom, but the question I have for him is whether he believes that may have been the effect of the journalistic output from the company's newspapers even if it was not the intended effect.