Clause 14 - Meaning of “publish” and “statement”
Defamation Bill
12:30 pm

Robert Flello (Stoke-on-Trent South, Labour)

Briefly, I want to pick up on the visual images point. The clause says:

“ ‘Statement’ means words, pictures, visual images, gestures or any other method of signifying meaning.”

Last week, I said that it would take five years to review one second’s-worth of videos uploaded to the internet by 2015, which is a horrifying thought. I am keen that the Minister is absolutely certain that this definition of statement will cover not only the existing situation but  any foreseen 3D holographic image or whatever that may be waiting for us in the mind of some very creative internet person.

Jonathan Djanogly (Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (HM Courts Service and Legal Aid), Justice; Huntingdon, Conservative)

Clause 14 sets out definitions of certain terms for the purposes of the Bill. It provides for the words “publish” and “publication” to have the meaning they have

“for the purposes of the law of defamation generally”.

Simply put, that means communication to a third party. It provides for the word “statement” to mean

“words, pictures, visual images, gestures or any other method of signifying meaning.”

In this case, these definitions mirror those in the 1996 Act and ensure that the provisions in the Bill cover a wide range of publications in any medium, which reflects the current law. I think that I have answered the hon. Gentleman’s point and, on that basis, I ask that clause 14 stand part of the Bill.