The Minister for Justice, Mr McDowell, is to bring legislation to Cabinet "in a couple of weeks" for the establishment of a Press Council.
The Tánaiste, Ms Harney, told the Dáil that Mr McDowell had informed her he would be ready to present the legislation to Government in that timeframe.
She was responding to the Fine Gael TD and MEP, Mr Simon Coveney, who said the Minister had repeatedly promised he would introduce "an independent press council of sorts".
Fine Gael's deputy leader, Mr Richard Bruton, had welcomed "the apology for the denigrating terms that were used in one of our national newspapers to describe lone parents".
Mr Bruton said, however, that there were questions on the matter that required legislation. "Do we genuinely seek to remove welfare traps from our welfare code?" he asked. "Will the Social Welfare Bill address this? Do we genuinely seek to maximise the chances that parents will raise children together in the context of enduring commitments to one another?"
When the Ceann Comhairle said the matter did not arise on the Order of Business, Mr Bruton said the Social Welfare Bill and the Finance Bill failed to address them. "That is the reality. We are failing to provide proper family support," he said.
The Social Welfare Bill is due in the Dáil next week, but the Labour leader, Mr Pat Rabbitte, asked why it was not yet published or available to the Opposition. He complained that "time and again, the Tánaiste and the Taoiseach have made commitments to the House to the effect that there would be a minimum of two weeks allowed to examine major legislation".
