CULTURE, PRACTICES AND ETHICS OF THE PRESS INQUIRY
Nicholas Soames: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what steps the Government is taking to give effect to the recommendations on regulatory and statutory frameworks relating to the Data Protection Act 1998 in paragraphs 48 to 57 of the summary of recommendations of Lord Justice Leveson's report into the Culture, Practices and Ethics of the Press. [153070]
Mrs Grant, Minister for Victims and the Courts: Given the potentially far-reaching nature of Lord Justice's recommendations in relation to data protection, in particular for the conduct of responsible investigative journalism, it is the Government's view that the recommendations relating to data protection require careful consideration by a wide audience. It is therefore our intention to conduct a public consultation on the full range of data protection proposals, which will seek views on their impact and how they might be approached.
Nicholas Soames: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice (1) what steps the Government is taking to give effect to the recommendations on regulatory and statutory frameworks relating to the Police and Criminal Evidence Act 1984 in paragraphs 67 and 68 of the summary of recommendations of Lord Justice Leveson's report into the Culture, Practices and Ethics of the Press; [153071]
(2) what steps the Government is taking to give effect to the recommendations on regulatory and statutory frameworks relating to the civil procedure rules in paragraphs 67 and 68 of the summary of recommendations of Lord Justice Leveson's report into the Culture, Practices and Ethics of the Press. [153072]
Jeremy Wright, Minister for Prisons and Rehabilitation: Paragraph 67 of Lord Justice Leveson's summary of recommendations is contingent on further secondary legislation being made to give effect to the provisions of sections 77-78 of the Criminal Justice and Immigration Act 2008 (CJIA). It is the Government's intention to conduct a public consultation on the full range of Lord Justice Leveson's data protection proposals, including on sections 77-78 of the CJIA, which will seek views on their impact and how they might be approached.
It is also the Government's intention to conduct a public consultation on the recommendations contained in paragraph 68 concerning possible amendments to the Police and Criminal Evidence Act 1984. A consultation on these recommendations will be launched in due course.
Nicholas Soames: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what steps the Government is taking to give effect to the recommendations on regulatory and statutory frameworks relating to civil law in paragraphs 69 to 74 of the summary of recommendations of Lord Justice Leveson's report into the Culture, Practices and Ethics of the Press. [153073]
Jeremy Wright, Minister for Prisons and Rehabilitation: Provisions in the Crime and Courts Bill, which is currently before Parliament, give effect to the recommendations made by Lord Justice Leveson relating to aggravated and exemplary damages (Recommendations 71 and 72) and the awards of costs (Recommendation 73). These provisions will introduce strong and effective incentives for relevant publishers to join a recognised independent self-regulator.
The Government has recently received advice from the Civil Justice Council in relation to Recommendation 74 (costs protection). The Government will consider how that should be taken forward before setting out the next steps.
Recommendations 69 and 70 relate to the level of damages awarded for certain media torts. The Civil Justice Council is to consider this area as recommended by Lord Justice Leveson following its work on costs protection. As Lord Justice Leveson indicated, how this is then taken forward will ultimately be a matter for the courts to consider.
Nicholas Soames: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what steps the Government is taking to give effect to the recommendations on regulatory and statutory frameworks relating to the recommendations of the Information Commissioner in paragraphs 58 to 66 of the summary of recommendations of Lord Justice Leveson's report into the Culture, Practices and Ethics of the Press. [153074]
Jeremy Wright, Minister for Prisons and Rehabilitation: The Information Commissioner's Office (ICO) is the independent regulatory body responsible for enforcing the Data Protection Act 1998.
On 7 January 2013, the ICO published its formal response to a series of recommendations specifically directed at the ICO by Lord Justice Leveson's report. The response and a progress report can be found on the ICO's website at the following link: