Number 10 Press Briefing - Afternoon From 19 May 2011
From the Prime Minister's spokesperson on: Super injunctions/privacy laws, Justice Secretary.
Super injunctions/privacy law
Asked if the Culture Secretary and the Justice Secretary had met today to discuss the possibility of a new privacy law, the Prime Minister’s Spokesman (PMS) said that the position remained the same: these issues needed to be thought about. The Master of Rolls report on super injunctions would be published tomorrow and we would consider it carefully.
Asked if the Prime Minister thought there should be a privacy law, the PMS said that the Prime Minister had been asked about the issues surrounding super injunctions before and said that it was an area where, through various court proceedings, the situation had been evolving. We needed to step back from it and think about whether what was currently happening was right.
Asked what the Prime Minister thought about Lord Stoneham discussing the details of Fred Goodwin’s super injunction in the House of Lords today, the PMS said that it was a matter for Lord Stoneham.
Put that the Prime Minister had previously said that he felt ‘uneasy’ about what seemed to be judges delivering privacy laws, the PMS said that that was the sense of what the Prime Minister had said but he couldn’t recall his exact words. Essentially the Prime Minister had been saying that we needed to take a step back and see if what was currently happening was right.
Put that Lord Irving had criticised the Prime Minister for expressing a view on these issues, the PMS said that the Prime Minister had been asked a question and he had expressed a view.
Justice Secretary
Asked if the Prime Minister had spoken to the Justice Secretary today, the PMS said no.
Asked if the Justice Secretary would be saying anything about the sentencing consultation on ‘Question Time’ tonight, the PMS said the Justice Secretary would not be saying anything new.
Asked if the Prime Minister was comfortable with ‘Question Time’ taking place in a prison, the PMS said that the venue and audience of ‘Question Time’ was a matter for the BBC.
Asked if an announcement on sentencing would be made in the next week, the PMS said that it was not expected in the next week.