Kathleen O'Meara (Labour)

I agree it is urgent that we have a debate on the implications for the legal system and our democracy of what happened at the Central Criminal Court yesterday. There is a sense of horror abroad at this and that we have among us the type of criminals who will engage in such utter and complete contempt for our system. We feel helpless in the face of this contempt and it cannot continue. Senator O'Toole is right that the Minister for Justice, Equality and Law Reform has a political responsibility for the matter, but we all have a collective responsibility to come up with a response. I assure the Leader that none of us will be found wanting in a constructive and responsible debate on the issue.

I ask the Leader if the Minister for Justice, Equality and Law Reform will make himself available for a debate on the proposed press council. There has been constructive debate in the media recently on this issue. It boils down to whether we have a statutory or non-statutory council. In light of this, it will be useful to have a debate in the House to hear the views of Members on this important matter. We, as public representatives, have come in for much odium recently and our profession is under much criticism, if not under threat. At the heart of the issue of a statutory press council is a fundamental distrust of the media itself. It is time the media looked at this.