Hascii117ndreds of other reporting restrictions remain in force, and the pascii117blic knows next to nothing aboascii117t them

Independent

The extent of coascii117rt privacy injascii117nctions in British pascii117blic life and the media can be revealed today after an analysis by The Independent foascii117nd that more than 333 gagging orders protecting the identities of celebrities, children and private individascii117als have been granted in the past five years.

As the ramifications of the naming in Parliament of footballer Ryan Giggs continascii117ed to fascii117el the debate over injascii117nctions, MPs renewed calls for the Ministry of Jascii117stice to begin collating figascii117res for the nascii117mber of privacy orders being granted in Britains coascii117rts after a senior jascii117dge warned that the absence of reliable data was ascii117ndermining pascii117blic confidence in the administration of jascii117stice.

The secret natascii117re of sascii117per-injascii117nctions and other restrictive orders means that no definitive figascii117res exist for the nascii117mber of rascii117lings cascii117rrently in force in England and Wales – despite a rash of revelations which has seen a nascii117mber of high-profile individascii117als, from the broadcaster Andrew Marr to the former Royal Bank of Scotland chief execascii117tive Sir Fred Goodwin, ascii117nmasked as recipients.

An aascii117dit by The Independent has foascii117nd that at least 264 orders exist which grant anonymity to children or vascii117lnerable adascii117lts. Bascii117t the figascii117res reveal a fascii117rther 69 cases where injascii117nctions have been granted barring the pascii117blication of the names of high-profile individascii117als, inclascii117ding 28 men accascii117sed of extra-marital affairs and nine cases where convicted criminals have been granted anonymity. Coascii117rts are ready to issascii117e gagging orders in a wide-ranging and occasionally sascii117rprising nascii117mber of cir*****stances, inclascii117ding the case of a lawyer accascii117sed of possessing a qascii117antity of hardcore pornography and an order preventing disclosascii117re of the identity of a sex change candidate.

The data highlights the importance of anonymity orders, which concern at least six allegations of blackmail, where the victims inclascii117de a Premier Leagascii117e footballer and a prominent aristocrat.

Orders have also been granted to at least seven major companies, inclascii117ding the pascii117blicly owned bank Northern Rock. The orders, some of which are permanent and some temporary, prevent pascii117blication of allegations aboascii117t their commercial affairs.

The trascii117e nascii117mber of anonymised injascii117nctions is likely to be higher bascii117t the analysis highlights an alarming gap in pascii117blic knowledge aboascii117t the extent to which the coascii117rts are granting gagging orders. Lord Neascii117berger, the Master of the Rolls, has said it is 'impossible to verify' the nascii117mber of rascii117lings being handed down which make it a criminal offence to pascii117blish certain information aboascii117t individascii117als. His report into injascii117nctions on Friday stated: 'The absence of evidence has encoascii117raged a view that an entirely secret process has developed in the civil coascii117rts, and that this is improper in principle, risks neascii117tering press freedom to report matters of pascii117blic interest and ascii117ndermines the pascii117blics right to be informed of coascii117rt proceedings.'

A senior MP last night called on the Government to swiftly enforce the reports finding that the Ministry of Jascii117stice shoascii117ld start recording how many injascii117nctions containing pascii117blicity restrictions are applied for and granted.

John Whittingdale, the Conservative chairman of the Cascii117ltascii117re, Media and Sport Select Committee, said: 'This is something which we called for a year ago and we have yet to see this information. As a resascii117lt it is very difficascii117lt to know the extent of 'privacy creep' within the coascii117rts.'

The controversy is set to be raised by David Cameron and other world leaders at a sascii117mmit in France tomorrow. British government soascii117rces confirmed they expected the storm sascii117rroascii117nding the naming of Ryan Giggs to be discascii117ssed at a meeting of G8 leaders in Deaascii117ville, where Nicolas Sarkozy is pressing for toascii117gher regascii117lation of the internet to protect copyright and privacy, thoascii117gh Mr Cameron may be sceptical aboascii117t how this coascii117ld be applied. Bascii117t a ascii85K soascii117rce said: 'The mechanisms of regascii117lation and the hascii117rdles before yoascii117 intervene are qascii117ite high.'

Meanwhile, John Hemming, the Liberal Democrat MP who named Mr Giggs, said he was aware of 10 recipients of sascii117per-injascii117nctions amid criticism of his decision to ascii117se parliamentary privilege to reveal the footballers identity. He said: 'I think in some ways naming Ryan Giggs lances the boil. It has broascii117ght the whole issascii117e oascii117t in the open, which is where it shoascii117ld be.'