PRESS (ROYAL COMMISSION) (Hansard, 7 July 1977)

§ The Prime Minister

The final Report of the Royal Commission is published

Home Office; the Comprehensive Community Programme Branch and the Urban Programme Branch were transferred to the Department of the Environment on 13th June.

The number of staff and annual estimated staff costs are as follows:

today (Cmnd 6810). Copies are available in the Vote Office.

The report covers in depth, and makes a number of recommendations on, a wide range of matters concerning the Press in this country, including freedom of expression within the limits of fair comment, the proposed Charter of Press Freedom, the rights of individuals to privacy, the rô1e of the Press Council, the maintenance of diversity, the avoidance of undue concentration among the news media, training and industrial relations.

An addendum to chapter 10 deals with recent allegations in the Daily Mail about British Leyland. The Royal Commission felt that this was a prime example of an abuse, the basing of contentious opinion on inaccurate information, which is a long-standing example of serious misconduct on the part of some of the Press, although the Commission did not find in this justification for changing its general views and recommendations.

There is a minority report signed by Mr. David Basnett and Mr. Geoffrey Goodman recommending the establishment of a National Printing Corporation and of a fund to assist new publications, in order to increase the diversity of the Press. Mr. Basnett and Mr. Goodman believe that the addendum to chapter 10 seriously understates the political bias in the national Press and that steps need to be taken to encourage a better political balance.

I should like to pay tribute to the work done by the late Sir Morris Finer, Professor McGregor, and their colleagues on the Royal Commission. The Government 609W will now wish to have a period of wide-ranging public consultation and discussion on the Royal Commission's recommendations, and to hear the views of representative bodies and others—both within and outside the newspaper industry—whose interests and experience bring them most closely into touch with the issues raised by the report.

My right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Employment has already stated his intention to start the consultations on the Charter of Press Freedom with the parties concerned required by the Trade Union and Labour Relations (Amendment) Act 1976, once they have had the opportunity to study the Royal Commission's findings.

Comments on other aspects of the report should be sent to The Private Secretary to the Secretary of State for Trade, Department of Trade, 1 Victoria Street, London, S.W.1 not later than 31st December 1977.