Cabinet to approve scheme of bill to remove blasphemy as an offence

The Cabinet will today approve the scheme of a bill aimed at removing the offence of blasphemy, as has been demanded by the Irish people.

Tánaiste Simon Coveney, on behalf of Justice Minister Charlie Flanagan, will seek leave to publish the General Scheme of Repeal of Offence of Publication or Utterance of Blasphemous Matter Act 2018.

Mr Flanagan will also seek a waiver of the usual pre-legislative scrutiny of the bill when he addresses his Cabinet colleagues this morning.

The key provision in the scheme is the repeal of sections 36 and 37 of the Defamation Act 2009.

The repeal of these sections is in keeping with the policy that it should no longer be possible to initiate a prosecution for blasphemy in this jurisdiction, a Government source told the Irish Examiner.

“It is also proposed to seek a waiver of pre-legislative scrutiny from the Business Committee in respect of this Bill,” the source said.

“The minister’s thinking is that the scheme of the bill reflects the decision taken by the people in the referendum, the bill is short and not particularly complex, and it would be difficult to justify any significant delay in bringing forward the necessary legislative proposals.”

The referendum on blasphemy took place on October 26, with the bill being signed by the President on November 27.