Self-regulation of the press is still the best way forward according to Press Complaints Commission chairman Lord Wakeham.

He told a seminar organised by the Institute for Public Policy Research that was still the case - and not just for the national press - despite recent developments in privacy issues and the Human Rights Act.

His keynote speech, Media Privacy - The Public's Right to Privacy and The Public's Right to Know argued against protecting personal privacy from media intrusion through the courts and called for strong self-regulation -free and available to all - to provide the best safeguard.

He said the PCC was "quick, accessible and effective" - which was why the Government was right to back it at the time the Human Rights legislation was making its way to the statute book. Privacy was at the heart of the industry's Code of Practice.

He told the seminar that the most recent figures (for 2000) showed just 33 percent of privacy complaints were about national newspapers. Some 61 per cent were about regional newspapers in England and Wales, and publications special to Scotland and Northern Ireland.

He also outlined the concerns he had at that time about the legislation and addressed how the law had developed in the fifteen months since the Act was implemented - answering some of the myths that grew to surround the law.

In the months since the implementation of the Act the number of privacy complaints coming to the Commission has gone up, and last year reached a record number of more than 500, dwarfing court actions brought under the Act, which number just 15.

But problems with the Act were highlighted by recent cases involving the Manchester Evening News and the Sunday People, both instances giving "long-term cause for concern".

But he said: "The fact that I do not favour a privacy law does not mean I place no value on individual privacy. Far from it. As a Parliamentarian - and now as chairman of the Press Complaints Commission - I have long seen at first hand the damage that can be wreaked by intrusive journalism and invasion of an individual's privacy. Unjustified intrusions can wreck careers and lives and should, in my view, never be tolerated.

"My main concern is not whether we should protect individual privacy, but how?"

He said: "In coming months, there will be a number of important cases before the Courts.

"If these decisions are in general conflict with the manner in which the Press Complaints Commission operates, and the way in which it administers the Code, then a serious situation may arise - not least because Parliament itself has made clear its opposition to a privacy law and to its support for the maintenance of an independent and effective system of self regulation.

"I do not think, however, that this will happen. I have every confidence in the good sense of all those involved in these debates - parliament, courts, newspapers and regulators - to ensure that a just and sensible way forward is found to protect both the privacy of individuals and the right of free expression on which our ancient democracy stands."

Click here to read Lord Wakeham's speech.

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