A. after B. storm C. entitled D. illegal E. exaggerate F. before G. thunder H. interpretation I. agreed J. qualified K. state L. binding M. received N. tightening O. translation The government is to ban payments to witnesses by newspapers seeking to buy up people involved in prominent cases such as the trial of Rosemary West. In a significant 1of legal controls over the press, Lord Irvine, the Lord Chancellor, will introduce a draft bill that will propose making payments to witnesses 2 and will strictly control the amount of publicity that can be given to a case 3 a trial begins. In a letter to Gerald Kaufman, chairman of the House of Commons media select committee, Lord Irvine said he 4 with a committee report this year which said that self regulation did not offer sufficient control. Publication of the letter came two days after Lord Irvine caused a 5 of media protest when he said the 6 of privacy controls contained in European legislation would be left to judges rather than to Parliament. The Lord Chancellor said introduction of the Human Rights Bill, which makes the European Convention on Human Rights legally 7 in Britain, laid down that everybody was 8 to privacy and that public figures could go to court to protect themselves and their families. "Press freedoms will be in safe hands with our British judges," he said. Witness payments became an issue after West was sentenced to 10 life sentences in 1995. Up to 19 witnesses were said to have 9 payments for telling their stories to newspapers. Concerns were raised that witnesses might be encouraged to 10 their stories in court to ensure guilty verdicts.