Reform of Defamation Law
On 28 November 2013, the then Finance Minister for Northern Ireland, Simon Hamilton MLA, asked the Northern Ireland Law Commission (“the Commission”) to examine whether the Defamation Act 2013, which received Royal Assent on 25 April 2013 and whose provisions were brought into force in Great Britain on 1 January 2014, should be extended to Northern Ireland.
Defamation law in Northern Ireland has been the subject of much discussion throughout the United Kingdom in recent years.
While making the reference, Mr Hamilton's department noted that, "The Minister has no preconceived ideas about what [the Commission’s] recommendations will be. As with any other Commission Report, the recommendations will have to be thoroughly assessed, with a view to making final policy recommendations."
This reference was formally approved by the Minister of Justice, Mr David Ford MLA, on 7 January 2014 and was included in the Commission’s Work Programme. The project was headed by Commissioner Dr Venkat Iyer.
The Commission formally launched a Consultation Paper inviting the views on the desirability of reforming defamation law and practice in Northern Ireland on Thursday 27 November 2014. Topics considered in the Consultation Paper include the impact of the 2013 Act in England and Wales, discussion of the single meaning rule, and the potential for additional forms of remedies.
The consultation ran for a twelve week period, and closed on Friday 20 February 2015. Work has since been taken forward by Dr Andrew Scott on behalf of the Department of Finance. Dr Scott's report to the Minister of Finance, Máirtín Ó Muilleoir, was published on the 19 July 2016. A copy of the report is available on the Department of Finance website: Publication Report
Related documents
Consultation Paper : Defamation Law in Northern Ireland
