- Latest available (Revised)
- Point in Time (12/04/2010)
- Original (As enacted)
Version Superseded: 26/05/2015
Point in time view as at 12/04/2010.
There are currently no known outstanding effects for the Defamation Act 1996, Cross Heading: Evidence concerning proceedings in Parliament.
Revised legislation carried on this site may not be fully up to date. At the current time any known changes or effects made by subsequent legislation have been applied to the text of the legislation you are viewing by the editorial team. Please see ‘Frequently Asked Questions’ for details regarding the timescales for which new effects are identified and recorded on this site.
(1)Where the conduct of a person in or in relation to proceedings in Parliament is in issue in defamation proceedings, he may waive for the purposes of those proceedings, so far as concerns him, the protection of any enactment or rule of law which prevents proceedings in Parliament being impeached or questioned in any court or place out of Parliament.
(2)Where a person waives that protection—
(a)any such enactment or rule of law shall not apply to prevent evidence being given, questions being asked or statements, submissions, comments or findings being made about his conduct, and
(b)none of those things shall be regarded as infringing the privilege of either House of Parliament.
(3)The waiver by one person of that protection does not affect its operation in relation to another person who has not waived it.
(4)Nothing in this section affects any enactment or rule of law so far as it protects a person (including a person who has waived the protection referred to above) from legal liability for words spoken or things done in the course of, or for the purposes of or incidental to, any proceedings in Parliament.
(5)Without prejudice to the generality of subsection (4), that subsection applies to—
(a)the giving of evidence before either House or a committee;
(b)the presentation or submission of a document to either House or a committee;
(c)the preparation of a document for the purposes of or incidental to the transacting of any such business;
(d)the formulation, making or publication of a document, including a report, by or pursuant to an order of either House or a committee; and
(e)any communication with the Parliamentary Commissioner for Standards or any person having functions in connection with the registration of members’ interests.
In this subsection “a committee” means a committee of either House or a joint committee of both Houses of Parliament.
Latest Available (revised):The latest available updated version of the legislation incorporating changes made by subsequent legislation and applied by our editorial team. Changes we have not yet applied to the text, can be found in the ‘Changes to Legislation’ area.
Original (As Enacted or Made): The original version of the legislation as it stood when it was enacted or made. No changes have been applied to the text.
Point in Time: This becomes available after navigating to view revised legislation as it stood at a certain point in time via Advanced Features > Show Timeline of Changes or via a point in time advanced search.
Geographical Extent: Indicates the geographical area that this provision applies to. For further information see ‘Frequently Asked Questions’.
Show Timeline of Changes: See how this legislation has or could change over time. Turning this feature on will show extra navigation options to go to these specific points in time. Return to the latest available version by using the controls above in the What Version box.
Access essential accompanying documents and information for this legislation item from this tab. Dependent on the legislation item being viewed this may include:
This timeline shows the different points in time where a change occurred. The dates will coincide with the earliest date on which the change (e.g an insertion, a repeal or a substitution) that was applied came into force. The first date in the timeline will usually be the earliest date when the provision came into force. In some cases the first date is 01/02/1991 (or for Northern Ireland legislation 01/01/2006). This date is our basedate. No versions before this date are available. For further information see the Editorial Practice Guide and Glossary under Help.
Use this menu to access essential accompanying documents and information for this legislation item. Dependent on the legislation item being viewed this may include:
Click 'View More' or select 'More Resources' tab for additional information including: