Some statements are absolutely privileged, so that there can be no action for defamation even if the words were false and were published with malice. Statements that are protected by absolute privilege are those which are made in:
- parliamentary proceedings
- reports published by order of parliament
- proceedings of courts or similar bodies
- statements made in legal proceedings
- certain communications between officers of State, for example Ministers acting in their official capacity and certain officials of government acting in the course of their official duties.
The Defamation Act 2005 also provides a broad defence for the publication of defamatory matter contained in public documents.
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Absolute privilege : Last Revised: Tue May 23rd 2006 |
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