Defamation Bill - Call for Evidence

Committee for Finance

The Committee for Finance would like to hear your views!

In exercising its statutory functions, the Committee for Finance is currently scrutinising the Defamation Bill. The Bill was formally introduced to the Northern Ireland Assembly on 7 June 2021 and following its second reading on 14 September 2021, was referred to the Committee for Finance for Committee Stage.

At its meeting on 8 September 2021, the Committee received a preliminary briefing from the Bill sponsor, Mr Mike Nesbitt MLA, n the key principles contained within the Bill.

The accompanying Explanatory and Financial Memorandum (EFM) highlights that the Bill has twelve policy objectives:

  1. Make it easier and less expensive to take legal action when you have been defamed;
  2. Make it harder for the rich and influential to chill free speech;
  3. Introduce measure to exclude trivial claims;
  4. Protect the rights of scientists and academics to engage in robust debate;
  5. Protect the right of journalists to conduct responsible and necessary investigations;
  6. Protect the work of Non-Governmental Organisations;
  7. Take better account of the impact of the internet;
  8. Require claimants to show that they have suffered serious harm before suing for defamation;
  9. Remove the current presumption in favour of jury trial;
  10. Introduce a defence of “responsible publication on matters of public interest”;
  11. Provide increased protection to operators of websites that host user-generated content, providing they comply with the procedure to enable the complainant to resolve disputes directly with the author of the material concerned; and
  12. Introduce new statutory defences of truth and honest opinion to replace the common law defences of justification and fair comment.

How to submit your views

Online survey

Submit your views by completing our online survey.

Email or Post

Any organisation or individual with an interest in this Bill is invited to submit evidence to the Committee by email to:

committee.finance@niassembly.gov.uk

or by post to:

Clerk to the Committee for Finance
Room 349
Parliament Buildings
Ballymiscaw
Stormont
Belfast
BT4 3XX

The evidence must be structured to address the specific clauses of the Bill and, if appropriate, should include any amendments you wish to propose to the text.

Organisations or individuals responding to this call for evidence will wish to note that their submission (either in whole or part) may be published on the Committee website.

Please read our Privacy Notice to see how we handle your personal information.

Closing date for submissions has been extended to Friday 19 November 2021.

 

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