Allister discovers 4 Super Injunctions in NI
06 June 2011
TUV Leader Jim Allister MLA has established, through questions to the Justice Minister, that since 2007 four ‘super injunctions’ have been issued by the High Court in Belfast.
The latest Question and Answer are as follows:-
To ask the Minister of Justice how many applications to the High Court of Justice have been (i) sought; and (ii) granted for orders prohibiting publicity on the granting of injunctive relief in each year since 2007.
(i) Information on the exact nature of the injunctive relief sought is held on the originating application and cannot be provided without an extensive manual trawl.
(ii) Since 2007 four orders prohibiting publicity on the granting of injunctive relief have been made.
Commenting Jim Allister said, “The mystery and secrecy surrounding injunctive relief is generally not healthy, nor does it sit comfortably with the transparency expectations of a modern society. Thus, establishing that there have been four ‘super injunctions’ in Northern Ireland contributes in a small way to redressing the balance of secrecy.
“The growth of ‘super injunctions’ is a product of the courts being persuaded to prioritise privacy rights over freedom of expression and press rights within the Human Rights Act. I am far from convinced that this balance is weighted in the right direction, particularly where it is a facility which in practical terms is only likely to be available to those who can afford it.
“In Northern Ireland there has not been the level of debate necessary in a democracy about these issues and, therefore, I trust the release of this limited information may stimulate some necessary debate.”
