Leveson Inquiry
Debate between Lord Redwood and Maria Miller(13 years, 1 month ago)
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Maria Miller
The right hon. Gentleman is right. The point of discussion today should be the fact that the Leveson report advocates an independent self-regulatory body. Leveson clearly states that he does not think that the Press Complaints Commission ever delivered on that. The right hon. Gentleman is right to suggest that the privileges, or incentives, that could be provided and that are outlined in the report could well encourage participation. I suggest to him that we should be considering ways in which we can achieve those privileges without setting them out in legislation.
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.
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.
BBC
Debate between Lord Redwood and Maria Miller(13 years, 2 months ago)
Commons ChamberRead Full debate Read Hansard Text
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Maria Miller
I understand the right hon. Lady’s point, although I say firmly that there are many lessons to be learned from the current situation. One of them is that it is in no way sensible to name individuals without there having been a proper and thorough criminal investigation associated with it.
Mr John Redwood (Wokingham) (Con)
Will the Secretary of State speak up for licence payers and ask Lord Patten, when she next talks to him, whether he will reconsider the outrageous and over-the-top pay-off and what he intends to do about the excessive number of highly paid managers, which he now condemns as if he were a critic, rather than their boss?
Maria Miller
My right hon. Friend makes a powerful point. He will know that we have frozen the licence fee, and I am sure he will know that I have made my views very clear to Lord Patten on this matter.