JUDICIAL PROCEEDINGS (REGULATION OF REPORTS) BILL

[Mr SPEAKER in the Chair]

Order for Second Reading read.

5.36 p.m.

The Minister for Labour and Law (Mr K. M. Byrne): Mr Speaker, Sir, I beg to move, "That the Bill be now read a Second time."

The Bill, which follows the provisions of the United Kingdom Judicial Proceedings (Regulation of Reports) Act, 1956, seeks as stated in the long title of the Bill to regulate the publication of reports of judicial proceedings in such a manner as to prevent injury to public morals.

Clause 2 of the Bill provides that in the case of judicial proceedings generally, it shall not be lawful to print or publish, or cause to be printed or published, any indecent matter or indecent surgical or physiological details being matter or details which would be calculated to injure public morals. The clause then provides that in the case of judicial proceedings for divorce, dissolution of marriage, nullity of marriage, judicial separation or restitution of conjugal rights, the reports of the proceedings shall be confined to particulars of the parties and the witnesses, a concise statement of the charges, defences and counter charges, submissions on questions of law and the decision of the court thereon, the decision of the court and any observations made by the court.

The Bill does not affect the printing or communication of proceedings or evidence for use of the court proceedings, or the printing or publishing of any notice or report in pursuance of the order of court, or the printing or publishing of any matter in law reports or technical publications for circulation among members of the legal or medical profession.

It is provided that prosecution under the Ordinance may only be brought with the sanction of the Public Prosecutor. It is considered that it is desirable to have some measure of control over the reporting of judicial proceedings and this Bill seeks to enact the provisions which have been accepted in the United Kingdom.

Sir, I beg to move.

Question put, and agreed to.

Bill accordingly read a Second time and committed to a Committee of the whole Assembly.

Assembly immediately resolved itself into a Committee on the Bill. -[Mr Byrne].

Bill considered in Committee; reported without amendment; read a Third time and passed.