James Hanratty (Hansard, 17 June 1971)

§ 26. Mr. Whitehead
asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department whether he will now announce the result of the investigation by his Department of the new facts and allegations in the case of James Hanratty; and whether he will now set up a public inquiry.

§ The Under-Secretary of State for the Home Department (Mr. Mark Carlisle)
My right hon. Friend is not yet ready to announce his conclusions.

§ Mr. Whitehead
I thank the Under-Secretary for that reply. Early Day Motion No. 537 or the two sympathetic Amendments thereto have been signed by 65 hon. Members. There will be widespread disappointment on both sides of the House if there is not an early announcement of a full inquiry into the Hanratty case.

§ Mr. Carlisle
I assure the hon. Gentleman that my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State will make an announcement as soon as possible. There are substantial matters to be considered and my right hon. Friend must have a little more time before he can reach his decision.

§ Sir E. Bullus
On behalf of my constituent Mr. Hanratty may I ask my hon. and learned Friend when the Secretary of State is likely to announce that there will be an inquiry and whether it will be before the Summer Recess?

§ Mr. Carlisle
I do not think that I can go further than my answer that my right hon. Friend is not yet ready to announce his conclusions. I hope that he will be able to do so before the Summer Recess, but it would be wrong to anticipate the result of those conclusions until they are reached.

§ Mr. Loughlin
Does the hon. and learned Gentleman appreciate that there are a good number of hon. Members on both sides who are very concerned about the delay that has occurred? I appreciate the need for the Secretary of State to make the most thorough investigations. Will the hon. and learned Gentleman convey to the Secretary of State that hon. Members would like him to speed up the investigations?

§ Mr. Carlisle
I cannot accept that there has been delay. The book was published only recently. It is over 400 pages long and raises many individual issues. A mass of other papers has accumulated over the years. I will convey to my right hon. Friend the feeling of the House that his decision should be given as soon as possible.

§ Mr. Steel
Will the hon. and learned Gentleman accept that if Early Day Motion No. 537 had not, unfortunately, been worded in such a way as to require hon. Members to state a firm opinion, it would have attracted many more than 65 signatures and that there is genuine disquiet among many more hon. Members than those who have signed that Motion?

§ Mr. Carlisle
That must be a matter of individual opinion. I accept that there is concern in the House that the Home Secretary should reach a conclusion as soon as possible and announce it to the House. The hon. Gentleman will appreciate that my right hon. Friend will look at this matter with the same care as it has received in the past from previous Secretaries of State.