New figures have showed a high level of public satisfaction in the Press Complaints Commission, despite plans for it to be replaced by a new regulatory system in the wake of the Leveson Inquiry.

Figures released today by the Commission show that 78pc of people who made a complaint about newspaper articles to the Press Complaints Commission were satisfied with how it was handled.

This comes despite the widespread criticism levelled at the PCC during the Leveson Inquiry into media ethics and Lord Justice Leveson’s report recommending it should be swept away and replaced.

Prime Minister David Cameron also said the current system of regulation was no longer “fit for purpose” in a Commons statement following publication of the report.

The Commission’s figures come from its complainant satisfaction surveys from 2012, which are sent to all those who receive a decision from the PCC.

The results of the survey show that 78pc of people thought their complaint was handled either very well, well or satisfactorily, while 79pc were happy with the thoroughness of how the PCC dealt with the complaint.

It showed respondents were largely satisfied with the amount of time taken by the Commission to deal with complaints, with 68pc saying the time was “about right”.

The survey also found that 86pc of people said that PCC staff were either very helpful, helpful or satisfactory.

It also showed that 65pc of people rated information on the Commission’s website as either four or five out of five for helpfulness.

Since publication of the Leveson Report, discussions have been taking place about bringing in a new regulatory system and newspaper representatives are due to meet this week for further talks.