Question
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what assessment he has made of the issue of anonymity for the accused prior to conviction in the context of the trial of Michael McCartney.
Answer
Independently of the case of Michael McCartney an assessment was recently carried out by the Interdepartmental Ministerial Group on Sex Offending of the current arrangements for anonymity for suspected sex offenders prior to charge. The review found that there had been no complaints about the operation of the guidance issued by the Association of Chief Police Officers and the Press Complaints Commission. The issue will be kept under review.