Culture, Media and Sport CommitteeWritten evidence submitted by Baroness Buscombe, Chairman, Press Complaints Commission

I write further to your public hearing on 19 July.

In it, you will recall, Mr James Murdoch made reference to News International “relying” on—among other things, including the police investigation—Press Complaints Commission reports regarding the extent of the alleged criminal activity at the News of the World.

For the record, I would like to make clear that the two reports issued by the PCC in connection with phone hacking (the latter of which has been withdrawn) were largely based on disclosures made to the PCC by the News of the World itself. The PCC, in common with police, was relying upon information given to it by the newspaper.

As is now clear, the information provided to the PCC was not correct.

26 July 2011