Senator Norris forced to apologise over Oireachtas Report claim
Senator David Norris has been forced to retract comments in the Seanad criticising RTÉ’s coverage of Oireachtas proceedings.
The colourful independent wrongly claimed the Oireachtas Report programme didn’t air this week and also failed to cover an emergency debate on underage sex legislation last Friday.
However RTÉ insisted tonight that it screened the programme on Friday and again this week but it didn’t appear in TV schedules, which were prepared several weeks in advance.
Both houses of the Oireachtas were due to take a 10-day recess this week but were recalled to debate the hurried enactment of the Sexual Offences Bill 2006.
Mr Norris said: “I will be happy to correct the Seanad record on Tuesday next because I don’t want to be unfair to RTÉ.”
“I was mistaken. I checked the newspaper and was flicking the channels but couldn’t find it. I asked around and people seemed to agree with me.
“If it weren’t for Oireachtas Report, in places like the Seanad you’d end up talking to yourself.”
An RTÉ spokesperson said a special Oireachtas Report was aired at 1am last Friday night. It was also broadcast last night and will be again tonight.
“We had to squeeze the programme into the schedules because the sittings weren’t planned. For this reason, it didn’t appear in the TV listings in newspapers and magazines,” added the spokesperson.
Earlier in the Seanad, Mr Norris complained that RTÉ didn’t show highlights of the hastily-convened debate on the Sexual Offences Bill 2006 last Friday.
“It is a pity that when the legislation was debated here there was no Oireachtas Report on RTÉ,” he said.
He added: “We are constantly being chided by the media for the fact that these benches are not always full, even though they know we are in our offices. Yet where are they when we want them?
“This is a very important matter and it did not receive the wide public dissemination it should have.”
