What is in Section 27 of the Defamation Act?
SECTION 21.
Question proposed : " That Section 21 stand part of the Bill ".
Paragraph (e) of subsection (1) of Section 3 is largely a re-enactment of the provisions of Section 27 of the Defamation Act.
Why do you amend the Defamation Act by this Act?
The section is concerned merely with the registration of a newspaper.
Would the Defamation Act not be the more natural place to look?
This provision of the Defamation Act had earlier been in, I think, the Newspaper Libel and Registration Act, 1881, which required newspapers to register. It was consolidated into the Defamation Act 1961, which requires them to register in accordance with the Business Names Act, 1916. When the Department of Justice saw this new Bill coming along, they said there was no point in retaining the provision in question in the Defamation Act. It is simply a registration requirement and has nothing to do with defamation. The provisions of the Defamation Act relating to defamation are quite unaltered.
It means that this is taking it out of the Defamation Act and putting it into its proper place?
Yes.
Question put and agreed to.
Sections 22 and 23 agreed to.
Title agreed to.
REPORT OF THE COMMITTEE
The suggested report of the Committee to the Dáil is as follows:—
" The Special Committee has gone through the Bill and has not made any amendments thereunto. The Bill is reported to the Dáil without amendment."
Report agreed to.
Will you be able to get your Report Stage in next week?
I will have to go to the Dáil for recommital of the Bill and I propose to move for a recommital to the same date as the Companies Bill Committee's next meeting.
The Special Committee concluded its business at 4 p.m.