George Eustice
Main Page: George Eustice (Conservative - Camborne and Redruth)(11 years, 8 months ago)
Commons ChamberRead Full debate Read Hansard Text
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Maria Miller
I am not sure I can explain any discontent on the part of proprietors on that score. The Committee would need to call them and question them more closely. But what I have seen from the press is a desire to engage and to put in place the sort of self-regulatory body that Lord Justice Leveson called for. In parallel with that, it is timely that we also make sure that the verification body that plays such an important part is also in place, otherwise we will not be able to implement Leveson in full. That is why cross-party talks are so important and why we need consensus on this. We need to be clear on that point.
George Eustice (Camborne and Redruth) (Con)
I welcome the progress that has been made, in particular the agreement now from the Government that some statute is required in order to create the incentives to join such a new system. I acknowledge that a royal charter could be an alternative way of establishing an independent body, provided the recognition criteria are right. But can my right hon. Friend explain to the House what happens if there is no regulator that is worthy of recognition, in the view of the recognition body? In that instance, will all newspapers automatically be subject to the exemplary fines and the costs, or will we have no system at all?