Defamation Bill

Assuming it is permissible for me to do so, I will say in response—because I was involved in the ...

My Lords, the reason I buried my head in my hands is that the noble Lord, Lord Lester, explained ...

We now resume debate on Amendment 23A.

Clause 5 : Operators of websites

My Lords, in addressing the group that includes Amendment 23A, I have had a chance to reflect on ...

My Lords, part of my role in this Committee has been, as accurately as I can, to reflect the evid...

My Lords, as I was about to say when Christmas interrupted, I should like to talk about the amend...

My Lords, first, perhaps I may say how glad I am that Sir Brian Neill is with us now, having reco...

My Lords, as the debate, albeit part two of the debate that we started before Christmas, has indi...

Does my noble friend have any comprehension of just what that last process would require from the...

As I alluded to in my opening comments, this is about getting the balance right. If there were su...

My noble friend started by saying that it was Government’s policy to achieve a balance and he rep...

I thank my noble friend for his intervention, although my recollection of the David and Goliath s...

I thank my noble friend but encourage him to edge slightly closer to answering my question. He sa...

Theology is always one to park, but, as a man of faith—and as a fellow man of faith—I take my nob...

I am grateful to the Minister for giving way; he has been patient and has had to deal with a lot ...

I hear what my noble friend says. Perhaps we can refer to this matter; he makes a valid point. As...

My Lords, I was encouraged by my noble friend’s response, and by his batting at the subsequent bo...

I would of course be happy to arrange a meeting. The benefit of being in the Moses Room is that y...

My Lords, as in December I wished the Committee a happy Christmas, maybe now that the Minister is...

Moved by

Lord Lester of Herne Hill

26: Clause 5, page 4, line 2, at end insert “and u...

My Lords, the amendment is grouped with Amendment 27 in the names of by the noble Viscount, Lord ...

I do not wish to interfere with the noble Lord’s attempt to be brief. Will he consider the observ...

My Lords, that may be so, in which case I made a false point on that. However, my main point is t...

I think I know what my noble friend means in the distinction between what is defamatory and what ...

I am sure my noble friend Lord Phillips understands that I am speaking clothed in the majesty of ...

Before I propose Amendment 26, perhaps I may ask noble Lords to curtail their enthusiasm in askin...

Clause 5 is very welcome as it recognises the huge problems facing both complainants and defendan...

My Lords, I make a brief intervention. I listened very carefully to what the noble Lord, Lord Les...

My Lords, I shall speak in broad support of the sentiment behind Amendment 27 in the names of the...

My Lords, I remind the Committee of my earlier declaration of interest that I work for Facebook, ...

This is possibly a stupid point, and it may reveal my misunderstanding, but as I look at this—I s...

I think that the noble Lord, Lord May, is correct. If I understand the intent of the amendment of...

My Lords, I persist in seeing this Bill from the point of view of the little man. Others tend to ...

I emphasise that this must be a voluntary process. I said that this was a probing suggestion for ...

I simply wrap up my point by saying that I am anxious about having this paragraph in the amendmen...

I shall make a couple of comments about Amendment 27, particularly after the remarks of the noble...

My Lords, because of my general opposition to this clause, it is obvious that I would also oppose...

My Lords, I support what my noble friend has just said. Having listened to the various alternativ...

My Lords, perhaps I may slightly correct the noble Viscount, Lord Colville of Culross, who I thin...

Many of the more celebrated cases in the libel tourism that has generated all this activity, such...

I trespass on the noble Baroness’s time by giving another simple contemporary example. If I had s...

It has to be substantially true, actually; he had only to be a bit of a paedophile, had you had t...

The noble Baroness has misunderstood. Clause 5 is not about whether you can bring a claim. It sta...

That is clear, but it still seems to be a higher barrier to take action against an operator of a ...

My Lords, I thank all noble Lords who have taken part in this detailed debate. Arguments have aga...

My Lords, my noble friend has got his answer to Amendment 26 completely wrong, particularly so fa...

My Lords, it may be a response to the noble Lord, Lord Lucas, to say that while there is of cours...

The noble and learned Lord makes a valid point, which we shall certainly consider.

My Lords, I am grateful to everyone who has taken part in this brief debate and particularly to t...

Moved by

Lord McNally

28: Clause 5, page 4, line 8, leave out from “section” to “Hous...

My Lords, I do not in any way want to provoke the Committee, but I am pleased to see that my nobl...

Oh!

No, I do not want him to stay; I really think that he should go back to his sickbed, although his...

This gives us some idea of why legal costs are so high.

I hope that Hansard noted that comment from a sedentary position and the general approval from th...

My Lords, I am very grateful to my noble friend for that explanation. Our noble friend Lord Ahmad...

My Lords, those of us on this side of the Committee welcome this amendment because it follows the...

I agree with that.

My Lords, the clause stand part debate notice is in my name and that of the noble Lord, Lord Brow...

Moved by

Lord Mawhinney

30: After Clause 5, insert the following new Clause—

“U...

Conscious of the time, I shall give a quick summary of what the Joint Committee decided by way of...

My Lords, I am glad that the noble Lord, Lord Mawhinney, said that this was a probing amendment a...

The Libel Reform Campaign is strongly opposed to this amendment but I shall not elaborate on what...

My Lords, I hear what my noble friend Lord Lester of Herne Hill has just said, and it is a very s...

My Lords, speaking again as a web operator, I do not know any way of establishing a person’s iden...

This is a sensitive and difficult issue but I find myself in agreement with the noble Lord, Lord ...

Not if the complainant does not know the name of the author of the posting.

No, but they complain to the people who should not have allowed it to be posted. That is my under...

Order.

I apologise. I forget the curious thing that you must stand up, thus rendering the microphone les...

With respect, there is no recourse against the person who runs the website if they take the posti...

Did I misunderstand the part of Clause 5 that said there was a responsibility on the owner of the...

I am afraid that the noble Lord did misunderstand.

This is an interesting one, particularly in respect of the use of the word “unattributed”, as opp...

My Lords, I am grateful for this debate. The more I listen to it, the more I realise that we are,...

My Lords, I thank my noble friend for his helpful response. I would like to start where he finish...

Moved by

Lord Hunt of Chesterton

31: Clause 6, page 4, line 14, after “journal” inser...

My Lords, that was the first time I have moved an amendment, so I hope you will excuse me.

...

I agree with all of this. It is very good and I want to do something, if I am allowed, that is pr...

Oh!

I can give the Committee many examples. One that does not reflect directly on me was during the G...

My Lords, I support the amendments of the noble Lord, Lord Hunt of Chesterton. Were I surrounded ...

My Lords, I am slightly sad that this privilege should not be extended to the Daily Mail, if one ...

My Lords, I support the direction of travel that the amendment proposes, but this is not yet a co...

Listening carefully to what the noble Lord, Lord Browne, has said, would it be fair to summarise ...

With respect to the noble Lord—I am always anxious to agree with him because of the role that he ...

My Lords, I thank the noble Lord, Lord Hunt of Chesterton, for putting forward this amendment, an...

It is perhaps a little more complicated than some people think. I am not sure that people underst...

My Lords, I will chip in again. When I responded to the amendment from the noble Lord, Lord Hunt ...

My Lords, I strongly support this group of amendments in the name of the noble Lord, Lord Hunt. I...

My Lords, the more that I hear about academia from the noble Lord, Lord May, and about the law fr...

I thank noble Lords for their very constructive response. I want to emphasise the respective memb...

Some of the journals.

Some—I apologise to the noble Lord, Lord May.

This is an extremely rigorous process, so I d...