Ulster Unionist Leader Mike Nesbitt MLA has welcomed Dr Andrew Scott’s report on the Review of the Law of Defamation. The Report has recommended that many of the measures equivalent to the provisions of the UK Defamation Act 2013 should be introduced into Northern Irish law.

Mike Nesbitt said:

“The Defamation Act passed by Parliament in 2013 was scrutinised and debated on the basis that the legislation would apply to Northern Ireland. Unfortunately, the then local Finance & Personnel Minister, Sammy Wilson, dismissed the idea of extending the new law to Northern Ireland, without even consulting his Executive colleagues or even informing the Assembly. He did this despite the knowledge that the United Nations had been highly critical of the status quo.

“Following repeated attempts to persuade successive DFP Ministers to amend our antiquated Libel Laws, I announced in 2013 that I was launching my own Private Member’s Bill to bring Northern Ireland’s libel laws in line with the rest of the United Kingdom. The subsequent public consultation demonstrated overwhelming support for my proposals which in effect would have rebalanced the law in Northern Ireland in favour of freedom of speech.

“The later decision by Simon Hamilton to ask the Northern Ireland Law Commission to examine whether the Defamation Act should be extended to Northern Ireland was seen by many as an attempt to undermine and interrupt my efforts.

“I am glad that almost two years after first ordering the review, the report has now been published and that it strongly recommends that many of the measures in the Defamation Act should be emulated here in Northern Ireland. The ball in now in Minister Ó Muilleoir’s court. In addition to the clear findings of this report, repeated public consultations have demonstrated a strong desire to change our outdated and ineffective libel laws. The Minister, and any of those local politicians who may be afraid to allow freedom of speech, no longer have any valid excuse to cling to the laws of the past.”