Parliamentary privilege essential for members

IT IS not my intention to continue a public dialogue in these pages with John Kennedy and I intend now putting the matter to rest until the Taoiseach’s court proceeding are concluded.

However, I think Mr Kennedy (Letters, March 12) fails to appreciate the importance of protecting parliamentary privilege.

The constitutional provision on parliamentary privilege states that members of the Oireachtas “shall not” be amenable to any court or authority other than the House itself in respect of “any utterance” in the House.

It is clear that holding members accountable to authorities outside of Leinster House seriously undermines the constitutional protection of this important privilege.

I have recently availed of parliamentary privilege to raise an issue on behalf of a constituent and I am glad my entitlement and duty to do so will be clarified by the judiciary.

Such privilege is vital for parliament to maintain its relevance in the governance of our country.

If, as Mr Kennedy maintains (Letters, February 27), the tribunal wishes to ascertain if there is a conflict between statements made by the Taoiseach in the Dáil and elsewhere, it need only compare his statements in the chamber (which are a matter of public record) with the statements he has made outside it. There is no need to impinge on well-established parliamentary privilege.

Senator Terry Leyden

Seanad Éireann

Leinster House

Dublin 2