DÁIL PRIVILEGE ROW:
The comments were made after yesterday’s High Court decision allowing Independent TD Catherine Murphy’s Dáil revelations — that businessman Denis O’Brien received interest rate deals from IBRC saving him “upwards of €500m” — to be reported on by the media.
Fianna Fáil leader Micheál Martin said the ruling is a “very welcome and important decision” that is “a good day for parliamentary democracy and freedom of the press”.
He said the ruling “vindicates Article 15 of the Constitution which protects what is said in the Oireachtas and the right of the media to freely report all statements made by elected representatives in either the Dáil or Seanad”, and that this is vital for a fully functioning democracy to work.
Sinn Féin deputy leader Mary Lou McDonald said it was vital that “the primacy of Dáil privilege has been re-asserted”.
She warned that “any attempt by anybody to try and gag the Dáil or try and censor a Dáil deputy is a disservice to democracy”, and it is essential that “when circumstances arise where there is a real and substantive issue of public interest, TDs have to be able to speak freely, fairly, and accurately”.
Ms McDonald said this is a view shared across political parties. However, hitting out at Mr Kenny and Ms Burton, she said this fact makes it “all the more disappointing the Taoiseach and Tánaiste were strangely silent on all of these matters”.
A Government spokesperson said the Coalition “welcomes today’s clarification” from the High Court, adding that the “right of Oireachtas members to exercise privilege is constitutionally protected and this has been re-affirmed by the judge”.
However, Labour TD and former party leader Pat Rabbitte questioned the concerns over alleged Dáil gagging in recent days.
He said: “There is no constitutional crisis and there never was. The order of the court [the original injunction], as I have said elsewhere, did not encompass a speech made in Dáil Eireann.”
