Joint Committee on Public Petitions to meet with Press Ombudsman

Speaking ahead of the meeting at 1.30pm in Committee Room 4 of Leinster House, Committee Cathaoirleach Deputy Martin Browne said: “The Press Ombudsman, unlike all other Ombudsman services, is not based on statute. The office was set up in 2008 as part of the Press Council to adjudicate on complaints against newspapers, magazines and online news publications.

“It is a body independent of government and the press. Members of the public can make complaints to the Press Ombudsman, who then seeks to resolve them by conciliation or mediation to the satisfaction of everyone concerned. Should conciliation or mediation not be possible, the Ombudsman will make a decision on the complaint based on the Press Council’s Code of Practice.

“Since the Press Ombudsman began receiving complaints in 2008, there have been over 5,000 complaints made to the Office. The Committee looks forward to discussing his recent annual reports and related matters with Mr Feeney.

“We will then examine a range of petitions submitted by the members of the public, including petitions relating to the ‘Inequality Kills’ report, ASD and employment, sanctions against China, and Improving immigration asylum policies.”

The Joint Committee on Public Petitions is a standing Committee of the Houses of the Oireachtas and has 11 Members, seven from the Dáil and four from the Seanad.

The meeting in the Committee Room 4 can be viewed live on Oireachtas TV.

Committee proceedings can also be viewed on the Houses of the Oireachtas Smartphone App, available for Apple and Android devices.