Culture secretary Karen Bradley quizzed by Lords committee
In the last of its short series of evidence sessions on press regulation, the House of Lords Communications Committee will question IMPRESS on Tuesday 13 December. The Committee will then hear from Culture Secretary Karen Bradley MP.
IMPRESS was created in 2013 following the Leveson inquiry with the aim of establishing a regulatory body for the press. It was recognised by the Press Recognition Panel in October. Its creation was condemned by much of the press, among other reasons, because it was deemed not to be truly independent due to its reliance on donor funding.
At 3:30pm the Committee will hear from Jonathan Heawood, Chief Executive Officer and Walter Merricks CBE of IMPRESS.
Questions they are likely to face include:
- How do you answer critics who say that you are not independent
- Does the existence of IMPRESS provide for a more robust system of regulation than the current self-regulatory system?
At 4.15pm the Committee will hear from the Karen Bradley MP, Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, on press regulation and a range of other areas including the privatisation of Channel 4 and the governance of the BBC.
Questions Ms Bradley is likely to face will cover:
- Progress towards press regulation following the Leveson inquiry.
- The future of Channel 4.
- Ofcom's new role in regulating the BBC.
The Committee will start its evidence session at 3.30pm on Tuesday 13 December in the House of Lords Committee Room 3.
