Leveson Inquiry Debate

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Department: Ministry of Justice

Leveson Inquiry

Lord Elystan-Morgan Excerpts
Thursday 29th November 2012

(11 years, 11 months ago)

Lords Chamber
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Lord Whitty Portrait Lord Whitty
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My Lords—

Lord Elystan-Morgan Portrait Lord Elystan-Morgan
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My Lords—

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Lord Elystan-Morgan Portrait Lord Elystan-Morgan
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My Lords, I resist completely any temptation to embarrass the noble Lord in relation to the issue of legal aid, something that I have assiduously sought to do over the past six months, but does the Minister accept that Lord Justice Leveson says in his report that any complaint should be made,

“without cost to the complainant”?

Therefore it does not matter whether that comes from legal aid or some other public purse—there should be that complete freedom and guarantee in this regard.

Lord McNally Portrait Lord McNally
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As with other parts of the Leveson report, we will have to look at this. However, one of the things that I know is in the report is the suggestion that, rather than a purely legalistic solution, there should be a road for settling complaints against the press that is cost-free.