Press Regulation

Baroness Williams of Crosby Excerpts

Thursday 11th July 2013 Lords Chamber

[Lord Hughes of Woodside]

My Lords—

[Baroness Williams of Crosby]

My Lords—

[The Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster (Lord Hill of Oareford)]

My Lords, we should hear from the Cross Benches.

--- Later in debate ---

[Lord Gardiner of Kimble]

My Lords, I obviously cannot pre-empt what the committee is going to say, but it is fair to say that in the other place last week the Prime Minister said that there were serious shortcomings in the PressBoF charter.

[Baroness Williams of Crosby]

Does the Minister agree, however, that an agreement between all the parties in Parliament is an extremely important step towards asserting the powers and influence of Parliament? Is it not important that the public know what has just been raised by the noble and learned Lord, Lord Mackay, the former Lord Chancellor, that members of the Privy Council will not be all the members or even a selection of members of the Privy Council? I have written to the secretary of the Privy Council as a privy counsellor to ask whether he would consider widening the terms of those taking part. This will be a government decision rather than a Privy Council one.