The much-awaited Leveson report which will set out the future of how the press will be regulated is to be published next Thursday.

Lord Justice Leveson will release his report on 29 November into the culture, practices and ethics of the press following his Inquiry, which was launched last year in the wake of the phone-hacking scandal.

It is expected to set out the future regulation of the press and many in the industry have feared that the report will recommend a system of statutory regulation.

The Leveson Inquiry was set up by the government after the phone-hacking scandal at the News of the World and the hearings opened in November last year.

The inquiry’s website says that Lord Justice Leveson will make a short statement about the report next Thursday at 1.30pm at the QEII Conference Centre in London but will not take questions or be available for interviews afterwards.

Following publication of the report, Prime Minister David Cameron will make a statement, then there will be a full debate by MPs on 3 Dec.

Editors across the country have feared the impact the report will have on free speech, fearing that statutory regulation may be imposed on them.

There have been calls from some MPs in the Midlands and elsewhere for the regional press to be exempt from any statutory regulation, saying there should be different rules for local newspapers.

Yesterday, Mr Cameron said in Parliament that the issues surrounding the behaviour of the press did not relate to the regional media.

The report will be available on the Inquiry’s website once it has been published.