Aideen Hayden (Labour)

Is the Minister prepared to keep the introduction of privacy legislation under review?

My second question relates to openness and transparency, a matter raised by my colleague, Senator Whelan. As we know those in political circles must make declarations relating to their holdings and so forth. Has the Minister any thoughts about bringing such openness and transparency to the media? I have in mind in particular the carry-on during the Celtic tiger years when property sections of newspapers fed what was at the time an insatiable demand for housing while at the same time pulling in extensive revenues.

My third question relates to the best form of protection for Irish media. We are aware of the pressures Irish media are under from abroad. The Minister has referred to the issues of convergence of media. Given the openness of the Irish media market, has the Minister considered giving extra resources to local media? This possibility was mentioned by other Senators as well. It appears that local media are especially capable of defending themselves against this type of convergence.

The Irish print and broadcast media are part of what could be termed the "squeezed middle". I refer in particular to the vulnerability of some of our proud titles to competition from overseas. Does the Minister believe it would be appropriate to have a "Buy Irish" campaign to protect Irish titles?