Vol. 472 No. 6
162 Mr. L. Fitzgerald asked the Minister for Justice whether her Department is responsible for a proposed law to allow journalists to protect confidential sources in certain circumstances; the progress, if any, which has been made in preparing legislation to address this issue; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [23661/96]
The Government policy agreement contains a commitment that the Government will examine the possibility of legislating to enable journalists to protect the confidentiality of their sources in certain circumstances. The matter is being examined in my Department at present in the context of a Law Reform Commission Report on Contempt of Court which, among many other issues, addresses the question of journalistic privilege. In addition, a recent decision of the European Court of Human Rights related to this subject is being examined as part of this review.
The matter is clearly a complex one and I am not in a position to indicate at this stage when the review which I have mentioned will be completed.
