The Short Title of this Act is “The Parliamentary Witnesses Indemnity Act, 1883.”

When any person sworn and examined as a witness by or before any Select Committee of either House of the General Assembly, or any Joint Committee of the two Houses, on any matter which is a subject of inquiry before such Committee, shall, upon such examination, claim excuse from answering any question put to him by any such Committee on the ground that the answer to such question may criminate or tend to criminate him, and the Committee is of opinion that full answers are required in order to enable it to deal satisfactorily with the matter under inquiry, it shall make a report thereof to the House by which the Committee was appointed, and if such House shall pass a resolution that the witness shall give full evidence, then such witness shall answer accordingly.

Every such witness as aforesaid who thereupon shall answer fully and faithfully any question put to him by the Committee to the satisfaction of such Committee shall be entitled to receive a certificate under the hand of the Chairman of the Committee stating that such witness was, upon his examination, so required to answer, and had answered, all such questions.

On production and proof in any Court of law of such certificate, the Court shall stay the proceedings in any action or prosecution against such witness for any act or thing done by him before that time, and revealed by the evidence of such witness, and may at its discretion award to such witness such costs as he may have been put to.

No statement made by any person in answer to any question put by or before any Committee as aforesaid shall, except in cases of indictment for perjury, be admissible as evidence in any proceeding, civil or criminal.