In this morning’s Irish Times:
Defamation Bill to pass within weeks
The Bill to reform Ireland’s libel laws is likely to be enacted within a fortnight, three years after it was published. The Defamation Bill was introduced by then minister for justice Michael McDowell in 2006 to repeal the existing legislation which dates from 1961.
The original government decision to approve the drafting of the new Bill was made as far back as June 2005 … the remaining stages of the Bill will be taken in the Dáil and Seanad over the next two weeks, with the Bill expected to complete its passage through the Oireachtas on July 10th, the last sitting day before the summer recess.
After dragging their heels for so long, this is to be achieved by means of a legislative guillotine:
Guillotine allows ‘one minute 20 seconds’ per amendment
A guillotine on housing legislation allowed just one minute and 20 seconds for each of the 170 amendments to be dealt with, Labour whip Emmet Stagg told the Dáil in repeated criticism of end-of-term deadlines. …
A further sotry in the same edition of the Irish Times lists Bills which are likely to be guillotined, including the Defamation Bill:
…Coalition to ‘guillotine’ debate on Bills
The Government will “guillotine” debate on at least 17 Bills in the last three weeks of the Dáil before the summer recess, Opposition parties have claimed.
I wonder whether anyone has suggested that 