Averil Power (Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

I am asking the Leader to invite the Minister to come to the House to discuss this serious issue. The motivation of the Iona Institute in bringing the case is clear. It is afraid of the referendum and the fact that at the Constitutional Convention, in which people heard both sides of the debate over the course of two days, 80% of those involved voted in favour of equality. They voted to put behind the prejudices and discrimination of the past and to ensure all Irish citizens would be treated equally. This is what the Iona Institute is afraid of because it cannot win that debate. It cannot win a fair and open debate, but it has money and influence which it is trying to exercise in this case. RTE has a responsibility to ensure no organisation can dictate the terms just because it is influential or has powerful backers. Consequently, I call on the Leader to invite the Minister to come to the House to discuss this serious issue and the steps he will take to ensure such a dangerous precedent is not followed in the future. To be fair to RTE, in the past it has run excellent debates such as the "Late Late Show" debate which included a panel interview in which both sides were heard. Moreover, at its conclusion, the audience voted overwhelmingly in favour of equality. While I hope this was just a once-off event, Members must be clear this is the case and that as the country heads into a referendum, one side will not be able to silence its critics.