PACE Amendments Consideration
Leveson Inquiry · An Inquiry into the Culture, Practices and Ethics of the Press · Issued 29 November 2012 · Addressed to: UK Government
Source — 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consult upon: (a) whether paragraph 2(b) of Schedule 1 to the Police and Criminal Evidence Act 1984 (PACE) should be repealed; (b) whether PACE should be amended to provide a definition of the phrase "for the purposes of journalism" in s13(2); and (c) whether s11(3) of PACE should be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
Publicly available evidence relating to this recommendation:
- No published evidence that the Home Office conducted the recommended review of PACE Schedule 1, paragraph 2(b) or considered amendments to section 13(2) of PACE regarding journalism, has been identified to March 2026.
- The Criminal Justice and Immigration Act 2008, section 70, extended the definition of "journalistic material" for PACE purposes, but this predated the Leveson recommendation. No subsequent PACE amendments addressing the specific issues raised have been identified.
Response — verbatim from government
●UK Government
This recommendation was not implemented. The government did not formally respond to civil justice recommendations in the Prime Minister's statement of 29 November 2012. Section 40 of the Crime and Courts Act 2013, which would have created a costs incentive mechanism, was enacted but never commenced. On 1 March 2018, the Secretary of State announced that Section 40 would not be commenced and would be repealed. Section 40 was repealed by Section 50 of the Media Act 2024 (Royal Assent 24 May 2024). Source: https://www.gov.uk/government/speeches/leveson-consultation-response
UK Government · 29 Nov 2012 Written response →
Evidence trail — what's actually happened since
- 27 Feb 2025 · Home Office The PACE amendments Leveson recommended were not made. No changes to paragraph 2(b) of Schedule 1, no definition of 'for the purposes of journalism' in s13(2), and no amendment to s11(3) regarding journalistic material held in confidence. View source → Not Implemented
Each entry above links to a primary source — gov.uk written statement, consultation response document, or inspection report. The Index does not characterise government intent; it tracks what has been published.
How this page is built
Source and Response are verbatim from primary documents. The Evidence trail records published activity since — written statements, consultation outcomes, inspection findings, parliamentary references. The Index does not paraphrase or characterise intent; it tracks what has been published. Where the evidence is the absence of action (a missed deadline, a slipped timetable), that absence is documented from primary sources rather than inferred.
This recommendation's data is verified periodically against primary sources. The Index is monitored for staleness weekly.