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Vol. 758 Tuesday No. 79 6 January 2015 PARLIAMENTARY DEBATES (HANSARD) HOUSE OF LORDS OFFICIAL REPORT ORDER OF BUSINESS Retirement of a Member: Lord Jenkin of Roding.......................................................243 Questions Children’s Privacy ..........................................................................................................243 Health: Diesel Engine Pollution...................................................................................245 Chilcot Inquiry ..............................................................................................................248 UN Security Council: Israel and Palestine.................................................................250 Social Action, Responsibility and Heroism Bill Third Reading ................................................................................................................252 National Insurance Contributions Bill Report.............................................................................................................................262 House of Lords Motion to Take Note....................................................................................................270 Written Statements......................................................................................................WS 47 Written Answers .........................................................................................................WA 103 £4·00 Lords wishing to be supplied with these Daily Reports should give notice to this effect to the Printed Paper Office. 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The first time a Member speaks to a new piece of parliamentary business, the following abbreviations are used to show their party affiliation: Abbreviation Party/Group CB Cross Bench Con Conservative Con Ind Conservative Independent DUP Democratic Unionist Party GP Green Party Ind Lab Independent Labour Ind LD Independent Liberal Democrat Ind SD Independent Social Democrat Lab Labour Lab Ind Labour Independent LD Liberal Democrat LD Ind Liberal Democrat Independent Non-afl Non-affiliated PC Plaid Cymru UKIP UK Independence Party UUP Ulster Unionist Party No party affiliation is given for Members serving the House in a formal capacity, the Lords spiritual, Members on leave of absence or Members who are otherwise disqualified from sitting in the House. © Parliamentary Copyright House of Lords 2015, this publication may be reproduced under the terms of the Open Parliament licence, which is published at www.parliament.uk/site-information/copyright/. 243 Lord Jenkin of Roding[6 JANUARY 2015] Children’s Privacy 244 ongoing legal matter and I am sure that she will House of Lords understand if I do not comment on the specifics. But when it comes to the matter at hand, which is that of Tuesday, 6 January 2015. self-regulation, it is important to note that the Editors’ Code of Practice actually stipulates that where a child 2.30 pm is under the age of 16, consent should be sought. That is something which should happen under the code and Prayers—read by the Lord Bishop of St Albans. under self-regulation. Where that does not happen, there is then redress through the civil courts. Retirement of a Member: Lord Jenkin of Roding Baroness Benjamin (LD): My Lords, society’s clear Announcement moral duty is to protect all children. Section 8 of the Ofcom Broadcasting Code does so and is very specific 2.35 pm about the privacy and protection of children. All The Lord Speaker (Baroness D’Souza): My Lords, I broadcasters apply these rules responsibly. What can should like to notify the House of the retirement, with be done to ensure that similar rules which refer more effect from today, of the noble Lord, Lord Jenkin of specifically to this type of photography are included in Roding, pursuant to Section 1 of the House of Lords the print media code of practice and adhered to in Reform Act 2014. On behalf of the House, I should order to protect children from unwanted exposure and like to thank the noble Lord for his much-valued potential harm? service to the House. Lord Bates: I am grateful to my noble friend for Children’s Privacy that question. Section 1.8 of the Ofcom code refers to Question the protection of children and that is mirrored by the code of ethics under the self-regulatory system. What 2.36 pm we need to do is ensure that that is working and that Asked by Baroness Smith of Basildon people are protected. At the same time, there is a need for a balance on the one hand between large crowd scenes To ask Her Majesty’s Government what assessment in which children might be involved, or the premiere they have made of the effects on children of the of a movie where a child star might be putting themselves publication of photographs of them without agreement in the public domain, and situations where privacy is or permission; and what consideration they have involved. A fine balance needs to be achieved. given to the aims of Protect: the Campaign for Children’s Privacy. Baroness Uddin (Non-Afl): My Lords, does the noble Lord Bates (Con): My Lords, I understand the Lord accept that those who have disabilities are still importance of ensuring that children’s privacy is respected having huge difficulties in coming forward and reporting and that safeguards are in place to protect it. The child sexual abuse or the need for protection? Will he Government have introduced the new system of assure the House that in all aspects of dealing with independent press self-regulation and there are remedies this matter—whether with regard to the media, the available under civil law. The Government are committed social justice arena or the law—he will take on board to tackling the production and distribution of indecent the specific needs of those with disabilities, in particular images of children and criminal offences are available those with autism? in such cases. Lord Bates: This applies to everybody equally, and Baroness Smith of Basildon (Lab): My Lords, we those with disabilities should come forward. Those have to be clear about what Protect: the Campaign for guilty of abuse should be prosecuted. There is a straight Children’s Privacy is asking the Government to consider. line between what we are talking about, which may be Surely it is entirely reasonable and responsible that general intrusion such as the publication of a photograph, when identifying an individual child in a published and, of course, the publication of sexualised images of photograph, there should either be consent or good children, on which the full weight of the criminal law reason. If not, the image should be pixilated or blurred. needs rightly to come down. The Minister referred to self-regulation. If that is working, why did Hannah Weller have to go to court and why did the judge say that the law needs clarification? Lord Harris of Haringey (Lab): My Lords, surely Will the Minister agree to meet Protect in order to the examples that the Minister gave are very different. understand parents’ concerns and consider how children’s If there is a general crowd scene, and an individual privacy can be protected? child is not identified by name, that is distinct from circumstances where a child is identifiable and where Lord Bates: My Lords, I thank the noble Baroness consent has not been given. Under what circumstances for her question. I should say first that my right does the public interest require that a child’s face should honourable friend the Deputy Prime Minister has met not be pixilated? Is there any case at all, in terms of campaigners and I would be very happy to facilitate journalistic integrity or the freedom of investigative further meetings if that would be helpful. In respect of journalism, that requires an identifiable child’s face to the particular case to which she referred, this is an be published without consent? 245 Children’s Privacy[LORDS] Health: Diesel Engine Pollution 246 Lord Bates: The noble Lord puts his finger absolutely The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State, Department on the point, which is the difference between images— for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Lord De Mauley) which is the context of the campaign, as I understand (Con): My Lords, the plan to reduce emissions and it—and the identification attached to an image of a pollution is set out in the Sustainable, Resilient, Healthy child, which requires consent. That is the area of People & Places strategy. This encourages walking and balance and the area of debate that we are seeking to cycling,