Michael Mullins (Fine Gael)

I call on the Leader to arrange for the Minister for Communications, Energy and Natural Resources to come to the House at the earliest possible opportunity to discuss the "Prime Time Investigates - A Mission to Prey" programme of 23 May in which a friend, a priest I know well, was defamed by RTE. Members will be aware that in this regard a settlement was reached in recent days with Fr. Kevin Reynolds. Irreparable damage was done to Fr. Reynolds's reputation and if it were not for his loyal parishioners and friends, who stood by him, the damage to his health would also be irreparable.

I am calling for a public inquiry into how RTE made that programme and the alleged large amounts of taxpayers' money spent on repairing the damage done by RTE. The Minister must determine the cost to the taxpayer of RTE's behaviour, following which funding to RTE should be appropriately cut this year.