The Minister for Justice, Mr McDowell, has declined to say whether the phones of journalists in Leinster House are being tapped. In response to a parliamentary question by Sinn Féin TD, Mr Arthur Morgan, the Minister said it would be contrary to the public interest to disclose if such calls were being monitored.
Phones may be tapped under the Interception of Postal Packets and Telecommunications Messages (Regulation Act), 1993, and are overseen by a High Court judge.
Sinn Féin TD, Mr Aengus Ó Snodaigh, last night said the Minister's refusal to disclose any details meant members of the public could only "believe the worst" when it came to the Government's actions.
He said the British government disclosed the number of telephone taps it officially authorised and insisted the Coalition Government would only refuse to provide details if it had something to hide.
"There has been phone tapping involving journalists here before, and who is to say it isn't happening again," Mr Ó Snodaigh said.
"With that kind of cloud looming over journalists and TDs, it means they can't do their job properly and undermines the confidence of the public who want to contact a representative in confidence."
The Minister for Justice pointed out in a written reply to the deputy that the relevant High Court judge who oversees the State's monitoring of telephone conversations has "consistently confirmed" in reports to the Oireachtas that any interceptions have taken place in accordance with the legislation.
The tapping of journalists' phones sparked a major scandal in the 1980s when it emerged that the conversations of three journalists were being monitored. In a separate parliamentary question last week, Mr McDowell also declined to disclose whether TDs' phones were being tapped.
