Reform history

# Civil Law and Criminal Law (Miscellaneous Provisions) Act 2020

### Chapter 1 *Definition*

##### 10. **Definition (Part 3)**

**10.** In this Part, “civil proceedings” includes any cause, action, suit or matter, other than a criminal proceeding, in any court.

### Chapter 2 *Remote hearing of civil proceedings*

### Chapter 3 *Business records and other documents in civil proceedings*

(a) information that is privileged from disclosure in civil proceedings or, as the case may be, criminal proceedings,

(iii) civil or criminal proceedings, or

### Chapter 4 *Miscellaneous*

“criminal proceedings” means proceedings for an offence and includes any appeal proceedings or subsequent proceedings related to the offence;

(c) the European Arrest Warrant Act 2003, or

(d) Part 3 of the International Criminal Court Act 2006,

and includes any appeal proceedings or subsequent proceedings.

(e) any application in appeal proceedings (other than an appeal referred to in *paragraph (d)*) or any subsequent proceedings.

**30.** (1) For the duration of the interim period, and notwithstanding anything contained in the rules (howsoever described) of the body, the validity of a meeting of the members of an unincorporated body, or of a vote taken, decision made or other act done by such members at a meeting, shall not be affected by virtue only of the fact that the meeting concerned was held in accordance with *subsection (2)* and not held in person.

(2) A meeting referred to in *subsection (1)* is held in accordance with this subsection where the members participating in the meeting are not all in the one place, but each member is able, directly or by means of electronic communications technology, to speak to, and to be heard by, each of the other members.

(3) The Government may, on the request of the Minister made after consultation with the Minister for Health, from time to time, by order extend the interim period for such period as they consider appropriate if they are satisfied that the making of such order is in the public interest having regard to the—

(a) threat to public health presented by Covid-19,

(b) highly contagious nature of that disease, and

(c) need, in order to prevent, limit, minimize or slow the spread of Covid-19, to ensure that unnecessary physical contact between persons is avoided.

(4) In this section—

“Covid-19” means a disease caused by infection with the virus SARS-CoV-2 and specified as an infectious disease in accordance with Regulation 6 of, and the Schedule to, the Infectious Diseases Regulations 1981 (S.I. No. 390 of 1981) or any variant of the disease so specified as an infectious disease in those Regulations;

“electronic communications technology”, in relation to a meeting referred to in *subsection (1)*, means technology that enables real time transmission and real time two-way audio-visual or audio communication;

“interim period” means—

(a) the period of 3 months commencing on the coming into operation of this section, or

(b) such other period (if any) as may be specified by order under *subsection (3)*.

(5) Nothing in this section shall be construed as operating to interfere with the power of a body under an enactment or rule of law to hold hearings before it by remote hearing.