Rose Conway Walsh (Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

-----and Gavin Booth - I think the authors of this report should be commended – and Darragh Mackin of KRW Law. I acknowledge Lynn’s initiative and steadfastness in confronting the elephant in the room of Irish politics and media.

The report states: “we consider there to be a perfect storm which poses grave risks to freedom of expression and media pluralism in the Irish market”. There you have it. The control of Irish media, combined with the sustained and regular threats of legal action by one well-known billionaire to media organisations and journalists who are engaged in news gathering or reporting his activities, is a threat to Irish democracy. I, like the authors of this report, believe that imperative and urgent action needs to be taken.

I urge the Government to carry out the recommendations of the authors immediately to establish a cross-disciplinary commission of inquiry to examine the issues and make concrete recommendations within a tight timeframe. There is a fear that because the legislation as laid out is not retrospective, it has merely cemented the position of the aforementioned individual and means that no one can now come near him in terms of market control. It is my understanding that there is no legal or constitutional bar to the retrospective application of the Competition and Consumer Protection Act 2014. This is important as it negates any claim by the Government to be powerless to act due to private property concerns. The Seanad would be an ideal forum in which to scrutinise this issue.