Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what steps she is taking to implement the recommendations of Part One of the Leveson Inquiry; and whether she plans to resume Part Two.

The Leveson Inquiry led to changes in the regulatory system of the press, which included the creation of the Press Recognition Panel, by Royal Charter, and two new press regulators, the Independent Press Standards Organisation (IPSO) and the Independent Monitor of the Press (Impress). This is a self-regulatory system, which was established to be independent from Government and protect press freedom. A free and fair press is vital to ensure the public has access to accurate and trustworthy information from a range of different sources. We are also clear that with this freedom comes responsibility, and newspapers must operate within the bounds of the law.

Given the substantial changes to the news landscape over the past decade, the Government remains of the view that beginning the second part of the Leveson Inquiry is not the right way forward. As a government we are closely following trends in media consumption and are carefully considering the best route forward to safeguard public trust in our news media.