§ 10. Mr. John Fraserasked the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will take steps to ensure compliance with the Judges' Rules on the subject of legal assistance for prisoners at police stations in the Metropolitan Police area.
§ Mr. CarlisleThe preamble to the Judges' Rules refers to the accepted principle that every person at any stage of an investigation should be able to communicate and to consult privately with a solicitor; and that this is so even if the person is in custody, provided that in such a case no unreasonable delay or hindrance is thereby caused to the processes of investigation or the administration of justice.
The Commissioner has assured me that the principle is well known to Metropolitan Police officers.
§ Mr. FraserAre we not now agreed that the principle was not observed in 74 per cent. of the cases investigated by Mr. Michael Zander, and may we have an assurance that where civil liberties are to he exercised or affected in this way it will be allowed to the prisoner, since it is enormously important for maintaining confidence in the police forces that people should be able to exercise their basic civil liberties?
§ Mr. CarlisleIt is important that the requirements should be fully carried out by police forces and that people's civil liberties should be properly regarded. If the hon. Gentleman has in mind a particular case I shall look into it, but I should point out that the article referred to was in more general terms and did not raise any specific case which could be investigated.