- The Defence, Press and Broadcasting Advisory Committee oversees a voluntary code which operates between those Government departments which have responsibilities for national security and the media; using as its vehicle the DA-Notice system.
- The Committee is chaired by the Permanent Under-Secretary of State for Defence.
- Membership may be varied from time to time by agreement. At present there are four members representing Government departments, one each from the Home Office, the Ministry of Defence, the Foreign and Commonwealth Office and the Cabinet Office.
- At present there are thirteen members nominated by the media; three by the Newspaper Publishers Association, two by the Newspaper Society, two by the Periodical Publishers Association and one each by the Scottish Daily Newspaper Society, the Press Association, the BBC, ITN, ITV, and Sky TV. The Publishers Association was invited in 1993 and in 2000 to nominate a representative but declined.
- The press and broadcasting members select one of their number as Chairman of their side and Vice Chairman of the Committee. He leads for their side at Committee meetings and provides a point of day-to-day contact for them and for the Secretary.
- The Committee is served by a full-time Secretary and part-time Deputy Secretary who substitutes in the Secretary's absence on leave etc. (Click here to see the full list of present committee members).
- The Press and Broadcasting members respond to proposals from the government departments concerned and advise the Committee on those areas of information in which it may be reasonable to invite guidance reflecting the interests of national security. Official proposals may not be issued in DA-Notice form without the consent of the Press and Broadcasting members.
- The Committee normally has a Spring and an Autumn meeting each year. It reviews the Secretary's report of guidance sought and advice offered over the previous six months. It also reviews the content of the DA-Notices as necessary to ensure that amendments are made to meet the changing needs of national security. (Click here to view details of future meetings or here to view records of past meetings)
- The DA-Notices are intended to provide to national and provincial newspaper editors, to periodicals editors, to radio and television organisations and to relevant book publishers, general guidance on those areas of national security which the Government considers it has a duty to protect. The Notices, together with a General Introduction, details of the Committee and how to contact the Secretary, are widely distributed to editors, producers and publishers and also to officials in Government departments, military commanders, chief constables and some institutions. The Notices have no legal standing and advice offered within their framework may be accepted or rejected partly or wholly
- Although the system is normally applied through the standing DA-Notices, should it be found necessary to issue a DA-Notice on a specific matter, the Government department concerned will agree a draft of the proposed Notice with the Secretary who, from his experience, can advise upon the form and content which are likely to make it acceptable to the press and broadcasting members. The Secretary will then seek the agreement of both sides of the DPBAC to the draft and, if it is obtained, issue the text as a DA-Notice. (Click here to see the five standing DA-Notices).
- The Secretary is normally a retired two-star officer from the Armed Forces, employed as a Civil Servant on the budget of the Ministry of Defence. He is the servant of the Government and Press and Broadcasting sides of the Committee, a fact which is recognised by the Vice Chairman being involved in the process of his selection. Similar arrangements apply for the Deputy Secretary who is also normally a retired service officer.
- The Secretary (or Deputy Secretary) is available at all times to Government departments and the media to give advice on the system, taking into account the general guidance given to him by the Committee. DA-Notices are necessarily drafted in somewhat general terms and it is the application of a DA-Notice to a particular set of circumstances on which the Secretary is expected to give guidance, consulting as necessary with appropriate departmental officials. He is not invested with the authority to give rulings nor to advise on considerations other than national security.
- If the Secretary agrees that a Government Department may quote the DA-Notices in a release of information to the media, he should ensure that the Department makes it clear that it is doing so on his authority and therefore that of the Committee. (Click here to find out about the role and contact details of the DA-Notice Secretary).
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