Luke Flanagan (Roscommon-South Leitrim, Independent)
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Question 3: To ask the Minister for Communications; Energy and Natural Resources his views on large parts of the media being controlled by a single owner; if he will introduce legislation to limit the percentage ownership of our media by any one person; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [36894/12]

Pat Rabbitte (Dublin South West, Labour)
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The issue of media ownership and the concentration of that ownership in the hands of limited numbers of individuals is a sensitive and critical issue for Governments in every developed country. It is all the more so here due to our small scale and the relative ease with which this concentration can occur. The reason this issue is such a critical one stems obviously from the critical role the media plays in our democracy and the potentially harmful effects an overconcentration of media ownership may have on the freedom of the press and on the plurality of views available to the public.

Last year, the Government approved the draft heads of a new consumer and competition Bill, as submitted by the Minister for Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation, Deputy Bruton, who has primary responsibility for promulgating it. Part of that decision involved giving effect in legislation to the recommendations of the report of the advisory group on media mergers and to transfer responsibility for public interest considerations relating to media mergers from the Minister for Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation to my Department.

The Government remains committed to implementing a set of robust measures that will allow for a transparent and objective assessment of the public good in media mergers cases and to do so as quickly as possible. Officials from my Department are actively engaged in the drafting process and I have written to the Minister for Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation on the subject on several occasions around the Bill's content. My primary concerns are that it pays sufficient attention to the preservation of media plurality and to diversity in media, as well as providing that the powers are sufficient to ensure the Government can act when these are threatened.

The consumer and competition Bill 2012 is one of a large number of Bills currently being drafted by the Attorney General's office. I gather it is likely to be later in the year before a draft Bill is ready to be published by the Minister for Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation and brought before the Oireachtas. In the meantime, the existing provisions set out in the Competition Act 2002 continue to apply.

Luke Flanagan (Roscommon-South Leitrim, Independent)
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I thank the Leas-Cheann Comhairle for allowing me to put my question again. He is very fair to let me in as I was not here earlier when I should have been. I apologise for that.

What is the role of the media? Is its role to make a fortune for someone or is it to report the news accurately? I know the realities of business mean that one has to make money at it if one wants to keep it going. At the level that some people are running the media, it is not about delivering the news but controlling it. I am glad the Minister said something will be done about it because it seriously threatens democracy.

Many times in the Chamber when I look up at the Press Gallery I ask myself who is really going to get the message out of here. When they listen to what we have to say, what sort of mangle does it go through before it is actually reported? In my opinion it goes through one particular mangle that constantly attacks anyone who is not of a right-wing view. This needs to be tackled because it is not on. In a democracy, everyone should have their say, should be reported equally and be treated fairly. That does not happen, however. Two large national radio stations are owned by the one person. That is not acceptable and something needs to be done about it immediately.

Pat Rabbitte (Dublin South West, Labour)
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I agree with the Deputy that the media is not like other businesses and media enterprises are not like other enterprises because of the formative role media can have on the very character of our democracy and the coverage of public affairs. I agree with him that diversity of content and ownership are central. The Sreenan report sets out several principles concerning the public interest test which are central to the Deputy's question.

The heads of the new competition Bill were approved last July. I regret an amount of the Government's legislative programme has been dislocated at the behest of the troika to cause other legislation to receive attention. The new competition Bill is proceeding, however, and will have regard to the Sreenan principles. It will transfer responsibility for the media to my Department and, in the interim, my Department is working with the Department of Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation to produce the best legislation we can. Hopefully, it will meet the challenge Deputy Luke 'Ming' Flanagan has put to us.

Luke Flanagan (Roscommon-South Leitrim, Independent)
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I hope the Minister is serious about tackling this matter at a micro level in Leinster House. I find the system which decides on who sits in the Press Gallery astonishing. The single owner I referred to earlier has someone in Leinster House who controls who comes in and out of the Gallery. This needs to be addressed. While there may be nothing untoward going on in this regard, it is about how it is perceived. How else can one perceive it when the chief political correspondent of the largest newspaper in the country has a major say over who else can report on what is happening in the Dáil? Will the Minister address this matter as well?

Pat Rabbitte (Dublin South West, Labour)
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From long years of experience, I am unlikely to dip my toe into organising who should sit in the Press Gallery. Detailed matters such as that might be best avoided.

Undue concentration of media ownership in Ireland would be unacceptable. I hope the legislation, when published, will reflect that. The media has a powerful influence in reporting and analysing current affairs. It is important, as the Deputy said, that different points of view are fairly represented. One person's negative media coverage may be seen quite differently by somebody else. We live in a valley of negativity at the moment for reasons to do with the economic collapse of four years ago. There ought to be room, however, for different analyses and points of view. That diversity and plurality of view ought to be reflected in a healthy media and democracy.