Joe O'Reilly (Fine Gael)

While I believe we could amend the legislation to permit this type of advertising, I am concerned by the possibility that removing a prohibition on religious advertising could be used by the Church of Scientology and other sinister sects to influence young people in a negative manner. Senator Mullen clearly has no such ambition and I support his objective of clearing the way for the Franciscan order or other Christian groups to advertise a positive community initiative or recruitment campaigns which are good, wholesome and socially worthwhile or at least provide an alternative for people. However, we must also prevent circumstances arising in which a vulnerable teenager could be lured by means of subtle advertising into a group which could keep him or her under effective house arrest for a number of years. The Church of Scientology is the organisation which comes to mind.

On the potential of chat lines to exploit vulnerable people, in the course of my constituency work I came across a case of a family which was landed with an astronomical telephone bill because a young member of the family had been calling chat services advertised on satellite channels. The family was living in marginal economic circumstances and I, as a public representative, mediated with Telecom Éireann, as the company was known then, on the family's behalf. There is scope to provide protection against such circumstances.

I empathise with Senator Mullen's point that there also is scope to provide protection in the case of tarot card lines where people are being charged very expensive tariffs. I accept Senator Norris's point that this activity can be harmless and people who believe in fortune telling, a light-hearted activity which is not inherently wrong, can go to festivals and so on. If a sinister type of advertising is used to promote these lines, however, premium rate telephone charges are applied and, as Senator Norris noted, one must first listen to a long introduction costing up to €7 or €8 before hearing the message one seeks, which may not be good news. It is an expensive activity which merits restriction.

While I do not have a problem with benign or positive religious advertising being placed by religious groups which do good, I have a problem with some religious organisations which could advertise if we are not careful. I have no problem with the avoidance of expensive telephone chat lines or tarot card lines which cost vulnerable people a lot of money. There is a sense of Irish fun about people going to the Ballinasloe horse fair and going to a fortune teller in a caravan. It is a tradition that goes back to pre-Christian, pagan times. It is in our culture and there is nothing malevolent in it. As a local representative I have come across cases where the chat lines that cost a fortune have caused hardship to vulnerable families. There are sad people who are using them, as Senator Mullen says, and it is tragic when people are lured into it.