Seanad report: The leader of the House, Mrs Mary O'Rourke, said she was very wary of a private investigative body that was being established.
"They don't say what they are going to look at, and I am particularly wary of the staffing arrangements."
Referring to the announcement of the setting up of the Centre for Public Inquiry, Mrs O'Rourke said that it was going to look at "all of us in all our aspects".
One would welcome investment in Ireland, and a gentleman "who has the dollars" had been mentioned in this connection. He had made a huge investment in universities here and in the peace process. But she would like to know what this body's terms of reference were.
Mr John Minihan (PD), said that the centre would be privately funded by somebody from outside this State to carry out investigations on people in public life and on institutions. "I would have serious reservations and serious concerns about this country heading in that direction. I don't think a sovereign state can have a privately-funded organisation, funded from outside the State, carrying out parallel investigations, accountable to no-one. Who is going to draw up their remit? What protections will people have?
"I think this is a very serious and worrying development and I would urge all people who support the institutions of this State to seriously look at and examine the establishment of this centre," added Mr Minihan.
The cruel treatment being meted out to individuals by some newspapers was akin to putting people on a roasting spit and turning them in order to rake in monies, the Leader of the House, Mrs Mary O'Rourke, said. A young man who was a mature student at TCD had been treated in an appalling way. No-one, in public or private life, should have their privacy invaded. The time had come to deal sharply and smartly with this problem before "we are all diminished".
Mr David Norris (Ind) said it was horrifying to learn that Ireland on Sunday, a most disreputable newspaper, had described RTÉ correspondent Charlie Bird as "fair game".
"Who are they to decide which Irish citizen is fair game in a situation where there is no clear, definable public interest whatsoever?"
Mr Joe O'Toole (Ind) said that the worst example of the type of intrusion into privacy that had been complained of was one that concerned a young man of 29 who was studying at Trinity and who had been given full page treatment in one of the Sunday newspapers.
Having tried to live and order his life, his only "crime" was that his father happened to be Malcolm Macarthur. He had lived his life with that hanging over him for 29 years, but both he and his mother had done their best with their lives.
"I think that the person who wrote that is guilty of what must be close to a criminal act. He has upset and over-turned a person's life. It can't be acceptable."
Mr O'Toole said he welcomed the fact that responsible journalists felt that something needed to be done about this state of affairs. There should be a serious debate, with a recommendation to the Minister for Justice to bring forward complementary legislation to deal with press complaints, the issue of libel, the right to information and the right to privacy.
Ms Mary White (FF) said that The Irish Times had yesterday reported, incorrectly, that she was an investor in the recently-launched newspaper Daily Ireland.
The Minister with responsibility for Overseas Development Aid, Mr Conor Lenihan, said he agreed with the recent statement by the Archbishop of Dublin, Dr Diarmuid Martin. We had to tackle the underlying issue of trade which was substantially important in terms of assisting the developing world. Developing countries gained seven times more from trade than from aid.
"We need to look closely at our own house. I do not say that to be provocative with regard to our farmers and the agricultural interests generally or the food industry in Ireland.
"While we have a significant vested interest as a country, we have to look at our position."