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At the end of November 1999, the Internet Service Providers Association (ISPA) launched a hotline service aimed at rooting out child pornography on the Internet in Ireland, either by removing it or by referring it to the gardai (police). The hotline will be available to receive complaints from the public about any child pornography found on the Net in Ireland. The intention is not to block web sites but rather to remove harmful material and, where the material is hosted outside the country, to pass the information on to the relevant organisation and co-ordinate removal of the material, if appropriate....

Ireland's film censorship, notorious for the banning or cutting of thousands of films until the early 1970s, has been much less rigorous and therefore less contentious in recent years. The banning of films like "Natural Born Killers" in 1994 and "Showgirls" in 1995 became the exception. At the end of 1999, release on video of the Danish film, "The Idiots" was banned on the grounds that it included obscene or indecent matter that would tend to deprave or corrupt persons who might view it (Video Recordings Act 1989, s.3). However, in 1999 also, the film, "A Clockwork Orange", was passed for cinema...

The Irish Supreme Court has upheld a decision of the High Court (see IRIS 1998-6: 7) in a case concerning radio and television broadcasts in relation to constitutional referendums. Under the Irish Constitution, there must be a referendum before any amendment to the Constitution can be made. In 1995 a referendum to remove the constitutional ban on divorce gave rise to much litigation regarding the conduct of referendum campaigns. Just before the referendum, the Supreme Court held that the government had acted unconstitutionally - inter alia by offending the constitutional guarantee of equality...

The Report of the Strategic Development of the Irish Film and Television Industry 2000-2010 was published in August. The Review Group, which drew up the Report, included representatives from Irish film and broadcasting organisations, educational institutes, government departments and the business and legal sectors. The Review Group carried out an objective evaluation of the effectiveness of the existing schemes and incentives for developing the Irish film and television industry, examined the fundamental issues facing the industry, and formulated a strategic plan for the future of the industry...

The Working Group on a Courts Commission was established by the Minister for Justice to carry out a wide-ranging review of the Irish courts. The Final Report of the Working Group, which was completed in November 1998, has now been published. Some of the recommendations made by the Working Group are of particular relevance to the media. Regarding the question of information and access to court documents, the Working Group made a number of recommendations. A Courts Information Office should be set up to facilitate media liaison (inter alia). Basic facilities for journalists should be available in...