Dáil Éireann Debate, Tuesday - 11 February 2025
423. Deputy Gary Gannon asked the Minister for Justice if he intends to proceed with plans to remove juries from defamation cases, as proposed in the Defamation (Amendment) Bill 2024; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [4973/25]
View answer465. Deputy Barry Ward asked the Minister for Justice if he will commit to respecting the unanimous recommendation of the Oireachtas Committee on Justice not to remove juries from defamation actions in the proposed defamation legislation; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [4768/25]
View answerI propose to take Questions Nos. 423 and 465 together.
In line with the Programme for Government, I am committed to progressing the existing Defamation Bill to enactment as a matter of priority.
The Government respects the strongly and sincerely-held, but widely differing, views of stakeholders on the issue of juries in defamation cases. High Court defamation cases are part of a small minority of civil cases in which juries are still used. Juries have already been abolished in almost every other type of civil proceedings, most recently under the Courts Act 1988, and juries have already been removed from Circuit Court defamation cases - with no adverse consequences - since 2009.
The last Dáil debated the Bill at Second stage in 2024 and approved it as published with its provisions relating to the removal of juries. The Bill has been restored to the Order Paper and I look forward to progressing it.
