Noel Dempsey (Meath, Fianna Fail)

Much of the time many of us would be interested in where some journalists come from when they make comments about what we do in this House. However, the longer one is here, the more one learns and the more one understands where they are coming from.

The matter raised by the Deputy could be discussed during the course of the broadcasting Bill. The affairs of anybody involved in public life, particularly anybody being paid by the State with public service obligations of one kind or another, such as public representatives, should be open to public scrutiny in so far as they relate to the work they are doing.

There is a distinction in RTE between people who are employed by RTE and those who are contracted. Nobody has brought to my attention the fact that anybody has abused his or her position in that respect. It would be a major consideration if there was an abuse of position. There was a recent incident where someone was thought to be involved in a conflict of interest situation. I would be willing to discuss the matter with Deputy Broughan during the course of the broadcasting Bill. It would be useful to consider the issue. It is not a simple black and white issue. We must consider to whom it should apply and whether it should only apply to particular types of journalists or broadcasters and whether we would apply the same standards to a light current affairs programme as to a heavy news programme. There are issues we could discuss.

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