Eilidh Whiteford
Main Page: Eilidh Whiteford (Scottish National Party - Banff and Buchan)Department Debates - View all Eilidh Whiteford's debates with the Attorney General
(13 years, 6 months ago)
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The Attorney-General
My hon. Friend raises a perfectly legitimate issue, which may doubtless be the subject of debate in this Chamber. Like me, he will recall that when we enacted the Human Rights Act the issue of the balance between privacy and freedom of expression was extensively debated. Indeed, not only was it extensively debated, but its detail was looked at, as were its possible implications in respect of introducing a privacy law into our national legal framework. Therefore, it cannot be said that the consequences that flow from it can be unexpected; I strongly suspect that he predicted them at the time, and I believe I did too.
Dr Eilidh Whiteford (Banff and Buchan) (SNP)
I hope that the Attorney-General will acknowledge the independence of the Scottish courts. Will he confirm that no application was made for an interdict at the Court of Session on the news reported in the Sunday Herald yesterday and will he assure the House that no legal action will be taken against the newspaper or its staff?
The Attorney-General
Scotland enjoys and has always enjoyed a separate legal system. It follows that orders made by the courts of England and Wales, generally speaking, do not have application there, although there are at times some exceptions.