HC Deb 23 January 1973 vol 849 cc216-7
Q3. Mr. William Hamilton

asked the Prime Minister what progress has been made in consultations on the recommendations of the Franks Report on Section 2 of the Official Secrets Act.

The Prime Minister

The Government have not yet completed their examination of these important recommendations: we are considering their implications for the whole range of Government business and we will announce our conclusions on them as soon as possible.

Mr. Hamilton

In view of recent evidence of the Government and the police together trying to muzzle the Press, does not the Prime Minister recognise that it is very important that this House should have the chance to debate the Franks Report before the Government take their decisions? Is the Prime Minister aware that there is a lot of opinion in the country and among members of the Press that the implementation of the Franks recommendations, far from reducing secrecy in government, will tend to increase it?

The Prime Minister

I am prepared to consider the last part of the hon. Gentleman's observations. This is a very important report and they are complex matters. That is why it is taking time to consider them. The Government said at the beginning that they would wish to have an expression of public opinion on it before making up their minds on the recommendations about whether legislation should be introduced. I cannot accept what the hon. Gentleman said in the first part of his supplementary question. There was no attempt to muzzle the Press. The action was taken by the Director of Public Prosecutions on evidence made available to him. The hon. Gentleman must face the fact that I am constantly pressed to safeguard all information in Government Departments. If he believes that it is right and justifiable for documents to be stolen from Government Departments, he must say so.

Mr. English

Rather than use the vague phrase "as soon as possible", does the Prime Minister ever fix targets within which relatively simple decisions should be made? Is "as soon as possible" two weeks, months, years or what? People are beginning to want to know when this decision will be made. I do not necessarily mean today, but we should like some indication of when it will be made.

The Prime Minister

Yes. The target is "as soon as possible".