Labhrás Ó Murchú (Fianna Fail)

The broadcasting networks in Ireland have much to be proud of. Over the years we have had many fine and responsible presenters who were aware of, and reflected, the values and the deeply held beliefs of the people who, in fact, paid them. However, it is important we have a debate on standards in broadcasting every so often.

We received a message from Britain in recent days when we saw the debacle with two highly paid presenters there. The first reaction of the BBC to the offensive action was to defend them but when it received 18,000 telephone calls, the situation changed resulting in the resignation of one of the presenters and the suspension of the other one.

In recent times in this country we have witnessed situations on television and radio programmes which were not acceptable if they were to reflect the values of the people. I do not believe it is acceptable to poke fun at Down's syndrome children, Travellers or the crucifixion of Christ. All that happened on our broadcasting network.

Taking a message from Britain, we should step back and realise that it is not only a matter of ignoring and dulling the sensitivities of the people but it is a negation of responsibility that action is not taken. I raised a specific incident on a previous occasion and in fairness to the "Late Late Show" and Gay Byrne, an apology was given. It is, however, quite clear that this is continuing and is being magnified over and over. Therefore, if we do not take a message from what happened in Britain, we will not maintain the standards we expect in the broadcasting network. With that in mind, I ask the Leader to arrange debate at an early date to give us an opportunity to express our views in a more extended and broader way.