The government is to ban payments to
witnesses by newspapers seeking to buy up people involved in prominent cases{{U}}
(21) {{/U}}the trial of Rosemary West. In a
significant{{U}} (22) {{/U}}of legal controls over the press, Lord
Irvine, the Lord Chancellor, will introduce a{{U}} (23) {{/U}}bill that
will propose making payments to witnesses{{U}} (24) {{/U}}and will
strictly control the amount of{{U}} (25) {{/U}}that can be given to a
case{{U}} (26) {{/U}}a trial begins In a letter to
Gerald Kaufman, chairman of the House of Commons media select committee. Lord
Irvine said he{{U}} (27) {{/U}}with a committee report this year which
said that self regulation did not{{U}} (28) {{/U}}sufficient
control. {{U}} (29) {{/U}}of the letter came two days
after Lord Irvine caused a{{U}} (30) {{/U}}of media protest when he said
the{{U}} (31) {{/U}}of privacy controls contained in European
legislation would be left to judges{{U}} (32) {{/U}}to
Parliament. The Lord Chancellor said introduction of the Human
Rights Bill, which{{U}} (33) {{/U}}the European Convention on Human
Rights legally{{U}} (34) {{/U}}in Britain, laid down that everybody
was{{U}} (35) {{/U}}to privacy and that public figures could go to court
to protect themselves and their families.