Joanna Tuffy (Dublin Mid West, Labour)

On my own behalf I congratulate the Minister on his appointment. I am not my party's spokesperson on justice; I am standing in for Deputy Rabbitte. In a general sense I welcome the legislation. As it does not come under my brief, I would not be as familiar as the spokespersons would be. I briefly spoke on it when it was debated in the Seanad. At the time it was pretty well held up by a very long drawn-out debate between the then Minister, Mr. Michael McDowell, and Senator Norris. At the time I wondered whether it would ever come to this House. Anyway it is good to see it here. It is good to get the legislation on the Statute Book to bring some clarity to the area of defamation. In that sense, the Labour Party has always been positive about this legislation. Former Senator Kathleen O'Meara spoke at length on the legislation, as has Senator Alex White. In general they would have supported the legislation.

Obviously, the Labour Party supports the freedom of expression of the press, which is very important for a democratic society. At the same time, we need to balance that need with responsible coverage by the press which should show respect for the dignity of the person. Coverage should be respectful of people because their reputation is very important. It is only right that if a person's reputation is unfairly tarnished, he or she should have recourse to have the coverage concerned addressed. In many areas, particularly regarding defamation, the best way to have a grievance addressed is not in an adversarial way but through negotiation and mediation. I welcome the new position of Press Ombudsman.

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