Brian Lenihan Jnr (Dublin West, Fianna Fail)

I agree with Senator Alex White on this section. There was always a defence in our law of fair and reasonable comment on a matter of public importance. All that this section is doing is restating that well-established defence in a more elegant way in terms of honest opinion, which always comprised the gist of that defence. That is the purpose of the section.

I was concerned when I heard Deputy Norris construe the section——