Legislation will be introduced to deal with libel on the Internet, the Taoiseach told the Dail. Mr Ahern said the law relating to the general issue of defamation was the responsibility of the Minister for Justice, Equality and Law Reform, Mr O'Donoghue.

His Department also chaired a working group on the illegal and harmful use of the Internet, which, while focusing primarily on issues such as pornographic material, might also have an input in that area. It was due to produce its first report soon.

"The Minister will introduce legislation in the area as soon as possible which will have regard to the Law Reform Commission's reports on libel and defamation, the recommendations of the Commission on the Newspaper Industry, and the consideration of any relevant advice from the Information Society Commission," Mr Ahern said.

He told Mr Gay Mitchell (FG, Dublin South Central) he would consider his suggestion that the commission be asked to examine the libel laws, particularly on the Internet, when he considered an interim report from it on intellectual property rights, which is due shortly.

The Fine Gael leader, Mr John Bruton, said the difficulty in enforcing any controls on libel, the dissemination of pornography, or the methods of making bombs for killing people, through the Internet, was because it was stateless without any jurisdiction governing it. There was a need for international action to create some form of jurisdiction to cover the Internet and bring it within the rule of law, similar to all other activities.

Mr Mitchell said that if they could not go after the originators of the libel, they should deal with its distributors.

Mr Trevor Sargent (Green Party, Dublin North) urged the Taoiseach to take into account amending the libel laws for newspapers, given the restrictions currently placed on news reporting.

Mr Ahern said he would take on board the points made, but it was an international issue. He would consider what forum was the best in which to raise it.

Meanwhile, the Taoiseach said that his own Department's "reconstructed website" should be operative early in the new year. A major review addressing content, structure and design enhancement to make it more user-friendly was under way.

Mr Bruton said the website page was so out of date that it showed the former deputy, Mr Ray Burke, as Minister for Foreign Affairs, Mr David Andrews as Minister for Defence, and Mr Michael Smith as a Minister of State.

Mr Ahern said he hoped that there would be a reconstructed website as his contribution to a Christmas present for Mr Bruton.