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ARTICLE · 24 FEBRUARY 2025

Defamation Reform Back On The Legislative Agenda

Arthur Cox
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Following on from the commitment to defamation reform in the Programme for Government 2025 – Securing Ireland's Future, the Government's Spring 2025 Legislation Programme places the enactment...

IrelandLitigation, Mediation & Arbitration
Eve Mulconry
Eve Mulconry
Keith Smith
Keith Smith
Amelia Walsh
Amelia Walsh
Edel Curry
Edel Curry
Emily Dornan
Emily Dornan
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Following on from the commitment to defamation reform in the Programme for Government 2025 – Securing Ireland's Future, the Government's Spring 2025 Legislation Programme places the enactment of the Defamation (Amendment) Bill 2024 (the "Bill") firmly back on the legislative agenda.

The Bill, originally published in August 2024, had lapsed following the dissolution of the previous government in November 2024. The Bill has now been restored to the Dáil Order Paper at Committee Stage, from where it will progress through the Oireachtas.

It remains to be seen whether the Bill will be subject to additional amendments on its path to enactment. As outlined in our previous briefing, Defamation Reform in Ireland: The Jury Remains Out, when the Bill was originally published the Department of Justice press release noted that several additional key reforms were still being finalised and would be brought in as amendments during the Bill's passage through the Oireachtas. These

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This article contains a general summary of developments and is not a complete or definitive statement of the law. Specific legal advice should be obtained where appropriate.

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