John Whelan (Labour)

What I am addressing is not a personal or private matter and I do not seek to single out any proprietor or an individual journalist. There is a fundamental matter of press freedom, freedom of speech and fair comment in the public interest, no matter who it concerns. Everyone in this country would be a lot poorer if we did not have an unhindered press. We must also deal with the issue of proprietorial interference. This week, the director general of RTE, Noel Curran, made a significant keynote speech assuring the public that investigative journalism will be one of the key cornerstones of RTE's remit. I call for a special debate with the Minister, Deputy Rabbitte, to discuss media ownership and control at the earliest possible juncture so that we can hear the legislative proposals he has and so that the Seanad can have an early input into the proposal and the legislation. This is a fundamental matter for democracy and a national issue.