David Norris (Independent)

Mr. Dunlop. Nobody is so idiotic to write down, "I got £150,000 from Mr. Dunlop". It is a complete waste of time and a cosmetic exercise intended to fool people into the notion that there is absolute accountability and transparency. It is irritating nonsense. The sooner we get rid of the pretentiousness associated with standards and address real standards in public life, instead of tricking away at the borders and creating a cosmetic impression that we are all whiter than the driven snow, the better.

I give a guarded welcome to the Bill. I appeal to the Minister, even at this stage, to have some discussion with professional bodies such as the National Union of Journalists. I am a member of that body and I also have some recommendations for it. In full knowledge of the presence in the House of its very distinguished secretary, I say that it is also incumbent upon journalists to make serious and responsible use of the information to which they have been entitled by an Act of the Oireachtas. Access to information is not just a right, but a privilege, particularly when it is access to the personal financial records, for example, of individuals, be they in public life or not. There is an absolute responsibility on the part of journalists to treat this matter with seriousness and decorum.