Brian Lenihan Jnr (Dublin West, Fianna Fail)

Senator Mullen should be careful in seconding all Senator Norris's proposals because this one refers expressly to the editors and proprietors of newspapers who should not be singled out as a class in ordinary legislation when they are already comprehended by it. The position is that in any defamation action taken on its own merits, for example, in the case of a newspaper, it is possible to sue the journalist, the editor and the publisher. This is the case in existing law and will remain so under this legislation. There is no reason to single out the editor and proprietor as being uniquely venal potential defendants in the context of a defamation action.