Members will be aware that Amendments to the Defamation Act were scheduled to be debated at Committee Stage in the Seanad yesterday, with 2 hours being allocated for discussion and voting.
As it happens, only 3 Amendments were discussed before the Debate adjourned . These related to the removal of juries from defamation cases .
The areas of interest to retailers and any other businesses that interact with the public (security firms etc) and which a number of Senators from Government parties have sponsored amendments will be debated at a later stage.
These amendments would strengthen the ability of defendants to resist a claim given that only those claimants that can demonstrate that serious harm has occurred would have their case heard.
It’s not too late to send a note to Senators, particularly those from Fine Gael and Fianna Fáil urging them to support these sensible amendments.
