Denis O'Donovan (Fianna Fail)

I am sure the Minister is more capable of responding to this amendment than I but I support the gist of it. Defamation can cause a great deal of damage. I raised in this House the case brought by a Ukrainian interpreter against a number of newspapers after the death of our former colleague, Liam Lawlor. The accident happened at a weekend and that Sunday morning a most appalling story was told which was poorly researched and utterly untrue. The lady involved, of whom I had never heard previously, used Irish legislation to get a substantial settlement, plus costs.

I am not sure how many people in Moscow and the Ukraine read the Irish newspapers that Sunday and Monday. I do not aim to demean her case but Liam Lawlor's widow and children suffered immense hurt. Irrespective of history, it was bad enough that he was killed but nobody deserved what followed. Not a single cent came to Mrs. Lawlor and no apology was tendered by the print media in subsequent publications. We must not lose sight of such incidents in this Defamation Bill because it could affect another colleague or a prominent public figure, such as a judge. We say that when a person dies that is the end but people who survive deserve respect.

There has been talk of a press ombudsman and a journalists' council, run by the media, covering the area of defamation. This should be examined because we must be wary of giving carte blanche to the media in an area about which I feel strongly. As public representatives, whatever our political leanings, we must be vigilant of what is said about a person who has died, especially when it is untrue. I do not mean to detract from the woman involved in the Liam Lawlor case but it does not rest easy with me that she received a substantial sum using libel laws in this country. The pain she experienced in Moscow was probably far less than that suffered by the Lawlor family. If the Bill ignores this then it will not be as strong a piece of legislation as I would like.