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L51

Repeal Procedural Provisions

Leveson Inquiry · An Inquiry into the Culture, Practices and Ethics of the Press · Issued 29 November 2012 · Addressed to: UK Government

Government responsePrime Minister's Office, 10 Downing Street: Noted (Nov 2012)

DeliveryUK Government states no delivery position (Nov 2012)

Recommendation, verbatim from the inquiry

●Inquiry recommendation

The procedural provisions of the Data Protection Act 1998 with special application to journalism in: (a) section 32(4) and (5) (b) sections 44 to 46 inclusive should be repealed.

Leveson Inquiry, An Inquiry into the Culture, Practices and Ethics of the Press · 29 Nov 2012 Source PDF →

Published evidence summary

AI-generated evidence summary

The Inquiry recommended repealing specific procedural provisions for journalism under data protection legislation. In November 2012, Prime Minister David Cameron stated that proposals reducing special data protection treatment for journalists required careful consideration, noting he was "instinctively concerned" about the impact on investigative journalism, though sections 32(4), 32(5), and 44 to 46 are not mentioned in the sources (David Cameron response, Nov 2012; David Cameron, Nov 2012).

Sources

David Cameron, Nov 2012

AI-generated summary of the record on this page, checked by a second model and automatic checks, 1 Oct 2026.

Report-level response context

PM David Cameron responded to all 92 recommendations with a single statement accepting them "in principle" or "in part". No per-recommendation response was published.

Government response

●Prime Minister's Office, 10 Downing Street · Noted · 29 Nov 2012

Words of: David Cameron, Prime Minister, statement to the House of Commons on the Leveson Inquiry report, 29 November 2012 (HC Deb vol 554 cols 446-448)

In support of this, Lord Justice Leveson makes some important proposals. First, he proposes some changes to the Data Protection Act that would reduce the special treatment that journalists are afforded when dealing with personal data. We must consider this very carefully, particularly the impact that it could have on investigative journalism. Although I have been able to make only preliminary investigations about that proposal since reading the report, I am instinctively concerned about it.

Response document: Leveson Inquiry (House of Commons statement)

Site note: The Prime Minister's statement to the House of Commons on 29 November 2012, the day the report was published, and his answers to members' questions on it (Official Report, HC Deb vol 554, from col 446). He speaks for the Government; the site files his words under the Prime Minister's Office.

Site note: The Prime Minister speaks of the report's proposed changes to the Data Protection Act together (col 448), without naming a recommendation. The same words are recorded on recommendations 48, 49 and 51, the proposals that would change how journalists are treated under the Act. He states no position on them, so the site records the response as noted.

Delivery

●UK Government states no delivery position · 29 Nov 2012

From: Leveson Inquiry (House of Commons statement), David Cameron, Prime Minister

How this page is built

The recommendation and the government responses are verbatim from primary documents. Delivery statements and other bodies' findings are shown in their own words, each with its source. The summary is written by this site and labelled as such. The Index does not paraphrase sources or characterise intent; it records what has been published.