PACE Amendments Consideration
Leveson Inquiry · An Inquiry into the Culture, Practices and Ethics of the Press · Issued 29 November 2012 · Addressed to: UK Government
Government responseHome Office: Accepted (Feb 2013)
DeliveryHome Office states no delivery position (May 2024)
Recommendation, verbatim from the inquiry
●Inquiry recommendation
The Home Office should consider and, if necessary, consult upon: (a) whether paragraph 2(b) of Schedule 1 to the Police and Criminal Evidence Act 1984 (PACE) should be repealed; (b) whether PACE should be amended to provide a definition of the phrase "for the purposes of journalism" in s13(2); and (c) whether s11(3) of PACE should be amended by providing that journalistic material is only held in confidence for the PACE provisions if it is held or has continuously been held since it was first acquired or created subject to an enforceable or lawful undertaking, restriction or obligation.
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 asked the Home Office to consider amending statutory protections for journalistic material. In May 2024, Lord Sharpe of Epsom, Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State at the department, stated that "All the recommendations have been addressed", though his answer did not mention the specific amendments to the Police and Criminal Evidence Act 1984 (PACE) (Lord Sharpe of Epsom, May 2024). Earlier, in February 2013, the department accepted the recommendation and announced that it would consult before the end of 2013 on proposed changes to PACE, including the protection of journalistic sources (Home Office response, Feb 2013; Home Office, Feb 2013).
AI-generated summary of the record on this page, checked by a second model and automatic checks, 1 Oct 2026.
Report-level response context
Government response
●Home Office · Accepted · 12 Feb 2013
The Home Office accept this recommendation we will consult on the proposed changes to PACE before the end of this year (2013). The consultation exercise will specifically consider the potential impact of the recommended change to section 11(3) of PACE on the protection of journalistic sources.
Response document: Leveson Inquiry Report Recommendations - Home Office Response
Delivery
●Home Office states no delivery position · 23 May 2024
The Leveson Inquiry made eight recommendations (68 and 75-81) concerning the press and the police, focused on providing greater transparency and openness. These were accepted by the Government, the College of Policing and the then Association of Chief Police Officers (superseded by the National Police Chiefs’ Council). All the recommendations have been addressed.
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.