Mr John Redwood (Wokingham) (Con): How would making a newspaper journalist a regulated person with a licence stop future abuse given that the introduction in 2000 of statutory regulation for banking and financial services ushered in more crime, abuse and disasters than we had before? I urge my right hon. Friend to agree with the Prime Minister and to warn this House that there is no easy way of stopping abuse, and that statutory regulation might not do it.
The Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport (Maria Miller): My right hon. Friend has given an example that we can all reflect on. I also bring to his attention the problems that have been experienced recently in Ireland despite the fact that it has a regulatory system, albeit light-touch, in place.
December 4, 2012
I really hope that this government isn’t intending to licence newspaper reporters because if it is the intent then the loonies will have taken over. That would cost billions of taxpayers’ money.
December 4, 2012
Well said! If press regulation comes in it’ll be sniped at right, left and centre until any party supporting it has egg on their face.
December 4, 2012
A very good point well put John.
I’m not the best at detailed readings of the law but I think the answer lies here:
http://www.legislation.gov.uk/ukdsi/2009/9780111481080
It’s the main order to the legislative and regulatory reform act which existed to force regulators to comply with the best practice established first by Hampton in his 2005 review of regulatory behaviour which became embedded in the regulators code.
It strikes me that the FSA are remarkable by their absence from the list.
This indicates that very strong interests were actively at work causing the regulator to act in interests other than those of society and the quality of the work done by the organisations regulated.
I think….. I could be wrong…… Evidence to the contrary is welcome.
Any regulatory body for the press should be subject to these standards.