§ The Earl of Northeskasked Her Majesty's Government:
Further to the Written Answer by Lord Bassam of Brighton on 4 May (WA 189), what criteria will be applied, and upon whose determination, to assess whether evidence relating to standards of conduct in the House of Lords submitted to the Committee on Standards in Public Life is defamatory. [HL2357]
§ The Lord Privy Seal (Baroness Jay of Paddington)This will be a matter for the Committee on Standards in Public Life to determine in the light of the general law. The committee, with appropriate legal advice, reviews all evidence submitted to it so as to ensure as far as reasonably possible that it does not re-publish material which might consitute a libel.