asked the Attorney-General whether he will bring forward proposals to amend the law of libel so as to provide an appropriate remedy for the present situation whereby an organisation can finance a penniless plaintiff to bring an unfounded action for defamation, thereby making it impossible for a successful defendant to claim his costs, in view of the fact that this practice stifles legitimate public criticism.
If the action is patently unfounded, the court already has power to strike it out before any substantial costs have been incurred. And if it is not patently unfounded, care must be taken that an impecunious plaintiff should not be placed in a worse position than other litigants merely because he is impecunious. But my noble Friend the Lord Chancellor is considering whether there is a need to amend the Rules of the Supreme Court so as to enable the court, in the circumstances envisaged by my hon. Friend, to order a plaintiff to give security for the defendant's costs.