Simon Coveney (Cork South Central, Fine Gael)

I move amendment No. 40:

In page 44, to delete lines 38 to 41.

I recognise this is a sensitive area. As the reintroduction of religious advertising to broadcasting in Ireland should not be done lightly, I have been careful to propose a form of wording that would allow the broadcasting authority to put in place a code of conduct for such advertisements. I have also proposed in amendment No. 46 to give the authority the power to prohibit if necessary any form of religious advertising should the experiment be abused. I do not propose a radical free-for-all that would allow any form of religious or faith promotion.

Amendment No. 44 provides for the insertion of a new paragraph (j) which reads:

[T]hat any advertising, teleshopping material, sponsorship and other forms of commercial promotion employed in any broadcasting service which relates to a religious organisation, publication or teaching is in no way divisive or discriminatory in relation to any community, section of community or person and that a positive tolerance towards diversity and multiculturalism is shown at all times.

This is the basis for the code of conduct I would like the authority to put in place. As an insurance mechanism, amendment No. 45 provides the insertion of a new subsection (5), which reads:

A broadcasting code prepared by the Authority under subsection (2)(j) may prohibit advertising, in a broadcasting service of religious advertising considered by the Authority to be intolerant of diversity, or divisive in its content or message, indeed the Authority shall reserve the right to prohibit all forms of religious advertising, as was the case prior to the Broadcasting Act 2009, should the Authority deem it necessary to introduce a new code to do so.

Amendment No. 47 requires the authority to appear before an Oireachtas committee at least once every year to report on the effectiveness of the broadcasting codes in place, suggest amendments to established codes or propose entirely new codes. These amendments recognise that Ireland is mature enough to allow responsible forms of religious advertising, whether in the run-up to Christmas or in respect of the country's various minority religions. However, a mechanism will be available to shut these provisions down if they are abused.

I do not expect the Minister to accept my amendments but I ask him to consider them nonetheless. I recognise what he is trying to achieve in the existing text of the Bill in terms of permitting the advertisement of religious newspapers, magazines and periodicals. However, we should go a little further. It would be brave to do so but Irish society is mature enough now to handle that as long as an insurance mechanism is in place that can respond to abuse of the code of practice and oversight by an Oireachtas committee of the operation of the codes of practices on an annual basis is provided for in order that we can have an input into tightening, amending or introducing new codes of practice for advertising.

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