Civil Evidence Act 1995

13 Interpretation

In this Act—

• “civil proceedings” has the meaning given by section 11 and “court” and “rules of court” shall be construed in accordance with that section;

• “document” means anything in which information of any description is recorded, and “copy”, in relation to a document, means anything onto which information recorded in the document has been copied, by whatever means and whether directly or indirectly;

• “hearsay” shall be construed in accordance with section 1(2);

• “oral evidence” includes evidence which, by reason of a defect of speech or hearing, a person called as a witness gives in writing or by signs;

• “the original statement”, in relation to hearsay evidence, means the underlying statement (if any) by—

  (a)

  in the case of evidence of fact, a person having personal knowledge of that fact, or

  (b)

  in the case of evidence of opinion, the person whose opinion it is; and

• “statement” means any representation of fact or opinion, however made.