SCHEDULES

SCHEDULE 18Amendments relating to Article 15(1) to (4) etc

PART 1Acts of the Parliament of the United Kingdom

Defamation Act 1996

53.

In Schedule 1 (qualified privilege)—

(a)

in paragraph 15—

(i)

for sub-paragraph (1)(a) substitute—

“(a)

for England and Wales, by order of the Lord Chancellor,”;

(ii)

after sub-paragraph (1)(b) insert—

“, and

(c)

for Northern Ireland, by order of the Department of Justice in Northern Ireland”;

(iii)

in sub-paragraph (2) at the beginning insert “Subject to sub-paragraph (3),”;

(iv)

after sub-paragraph (2) insert—

“(3)

An order under sub-paragraph (1)(c) shall be made by statutory rule for the purposes of the Statutory Rules (Northern Ireland) Order 1979 and subject to negative resolution within the meaning of section 41(6) of the Interpretation Act (Northern Ireland) 1954.”;

(b)

in paragraph 17—

(i)

for sub-paragraph (2)(a) substitute—

“(a)

for England and Wales, by the Lord Chancellor,”;

(ii)

after sub-paragraph (2)(b) insert—

“, and

(c)

for Northern Ireland, by the Department of Justice in Northern Ireland”;

(iii)

in sub-paragraph (3) at the beginning insert “Subject to sub-paragraph (4),”;

(iv)

after sub-paragraph (3) insert—

“(4)

An order under sub-paragraph (2)(c) shall be made by statutory rule for the purposes of the Statutory Rules (Northern Ireland) Order 1979 and subject to negative resolution within the meaning of section 41(6) of the Interpretation Act (Northern Ireland) 1954.”