David Norris (Independent)

I seem to do that so easily. I apologise.

I wish to say something in a non-speechifying manner about a subject that is often raised here, that is, the coverage of the House by the media. I compliment RTÉ in one sense because, in its coverage of both Houses, particularly the Seanad, it no longer just relies on sound bites and allows sufficient time for Members to develop an argument. That is a welcome development. As well as criticising the media, we should recognise when it does things for the benefit of the Seanad and the public.

Having said that, the Leader and I agreed yesterday evening that we had had an excellent and significant debate on the drinks industry. It was important that coverage should have been given to the debate so that young people, adults, parents and the authorities know what is being said on these subjects in the Oireachtas, but there was not a peep about it. One journalist, who has been praised before, attempted to have material printed in the newspapers but it was excised because it is easier to include the Minister's speech. That is not acceptable. There was not a whisper on RTÉ. I said RTÉ gives good coverage and I know there are time constraints, but yesterday's was a really significant debate on important issues that affect people's lives. The health and welfare of the country were raised but there was not a peep about the debate.

I happened to glance at the proceedings of the Joint Committee on Agriculture and Food. I would not usually spend time viewing its proceedings, but they were actually superb. The contribution of Senator Callanan, in particular, was quite outstanding. It is a pity that contribution was not reported.