Recommendations after call scandal

The PCC began an inquiry after News of the World reporter Clive Goodman was jailed for illegally accessing voicemail messages on phones belonging to members of the royal household.

It has issued six recommendations for newspapers and magazines in a bid to prevent such a scandal happening again.

Contractual compliance with the Code of Practice should become universal across the industry, the PCC said. Publications must ensure their journalists understand "subterfuge protocol" and there should be regular internal training regarding privacy cases and compliance with the law.

Newspapers and magazines should include reference to the Data Protection Act in contracts of employment, while contracts with external contributors should contain an explicit requirement to abide by the Code of Practice.

And there should be rigorous audit controls for cash payments to external contributors.

The final recommendation follows the revelation that former footballer Glenn Mulcaire, also jailed for his role in the phone tapping scandal, received over £12,000 in secret payments from Goodman, in addition to the £105,000 he was paid by the News of the World as a retainer.

The newspaper's editor, Andy Coulson, resigned as a result of the case.

The PCC said the actions of Goodman and Mulcaire were "deplorable" and "highly regrettable". The PCC said it was satisfied that no-one else at the News of the World knew that Goodman and Mulcaire were tapping phone messages.

It praised new editor Colin Myler for introducing a series of measures aimed at preventing such a case happening again.