Pádraig Mac Lochlainn (Donegal North East, Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

I move amendment No. 2:

In page 12, to delete lines 36 to 39, and in page 13, to delete line 1 and substitute the following:“ “(5A) (a) Bona fide representatives of the Press, in order to be permitted to attend proceedings referred to in subsection (1), shall be required to provide accreditation of the form prescribed in paragraph (b).

(b) Accreditation for the purposes of paragraph (a) shall be provided by the Court Reporting Accreditation Committee, which shall consist of the following ordinary members:

(i) a representative of the Press Council,

(ii) a representative of the Press Ombudsman's Office,

(iii) a representative of the Department of Justice and Equality, and

(iv) a representative of the Children's Ombudsman's office,

and the Minister for Justice and Equality shall also appoint a judge of the High Court as the chair of the Courts Reporting Accreditation Committee. The Courts Reporting Accreditation Committee shall operate on the basis of majority decision, and in the event of a tied decision among the ordinary members, the chair of the committee shall have the casting vote.

(c) Bona fide representatives of the Press, without accreditation as provided for in paragraphs (a) and (b) shall be prohibited from attending proceedings referred to in subsection (1).

(d) Subject to paragraph (c), nothing contained in this section shall operate to prohibit bona fide representatives of the Press from attending proceedings referred to in subsection (1).

(e) Subject to paragraphs (f) and (g), where, in proceedings referred to in subsection (1), a court is satisfied that it is necessary to do so --”.

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