Appointments to the Censorship of Films Appeal Board have been made by the Minister for Justice, Mr McDowell.
The board, consisting of a chairman and eight members, deals with complaints primarily from circulators or makers of films about decisions made by the Official Film Censor, Mr John Kelleher.
The chairman of the appeal board will be Mr Paul O'Higgins SC. Members are Ms Ann Walsh, solicitor; Ms Cathy Herbert, former RTÉ journalist; Mr Dave Tyndall, retired public servant; Ms Sara Moorehead, barrister; Mr Kevin Myers, Irish Times journalist; Ms Ann Mooney, Cork journalist and one representative from each of the two main churches, Father Damien McNiece, a spokesman for Cardinal Desmond Connell, and Canon David Pierpoint. The members' term of office is five years and the position is unpaid.
Any person who has a complaint about the film censor refusing to grant a certificate or attaching conditions to the showing of a film, for instance, by cutting part of it, may appeal to the board. Complaints about censorship of videos can also be appealed. The board may affirm, reverse or vary the decision of the film censor. The appeals board and the censor are independent of the Minister and he does not have any power to overturn decisions.
Mr Myers said: "I am heavily against censorship of any materials for adults by adults. That is providing no children are abused or hurt and no laws are broken when the film is being made and the film is not an inducement to hatred or lawlessness."