Mr. S?amus Dooley:

They were never intended to deal with defamation. I do not believe they should have financial penalties. If somebody wants financial compensation, they go to the courts. That is what the courts exist for. The model that currently exists would not be suitable to imposing financial penalties. I was on the steering committee, as were other people in the room, that established the Press Council of Ireland. There were long debates about that but ultimately we came to the conclusion that the Press Council is not rivalling the court system. It was never intended that there would be financial penalties.