Brendan Howlin (Wexford, Labour) | Oireachtas source

Deputy Boyd Barrett makes a strong point. We need to face up to the requirement for plurality in the media so that there is more than one control mechanism for the media people access in this country. Over the weekend, I read speculation that the Taoiseach was talking about legislation in this area. Is the Government concerned at the increased concentration of media ownership in Ireland? Should an independent commission be established to pull together all the strands of views on that and to address that in a very open way to ensure there are not the type of constraints referenced on any journalist. I refer to them acting freely, fairly and openly in our society. It is an important bulwark in any society.

On the issues surrounding the Minister for Communications, Climate Action and Environment, Deputy Denis Naughten, I am not going to revisit them except to say that I can half understand a Minister getting a phone call and not instantly realising he should not be taking the call and stopping it but not recognising that was wrong.

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