HC Deb 21 February 1985 vol 73 cc1240-1 5.54 pm
Mr. Robin Corbett (Birmingham, Erdington)

I beg to ask leave to move the Adjournment of the House, under Standing Order No. 10, for the purpose of discussing a specific and important matter that should have urgent consideration, namely, the ban imposed last night by the Independent Broadcasting Authority on Channel 4's '20:20 Vision' programme entitled 'M15's Official Secrets'. The full IBA saw this programme first in January. It saw it at other times and again last night and decided to stop the public from seeing it. That is a most serious step which inhibits proper public debate on a matter of urgent public importance. It is also an act of censorship by the IBA because it is not a law enforcement agency. It is more properly a matter for the Attorney-General and the Director of Public Prosecutions, after screening.

The film makes allegations about the surveillance methods used by the security services against individuals and organisations who are in no way suspected of terrorist or subversive activities. It alleges that even my hon. Friend the Member for Peckham (Ms. Harman) was investigated, as well as human rights activists and trade unionists. It alleges misdirection of the security services in breach of their own operational rules, which state: The Security Services should be kept absolutely free from any political bias or influence. The programme alleges a clear breach of those rules by the Home Secretary and the Secretary of State for Defence. It is alleged that in March 1983 the Secretary of State for Defence established the DS19 unit to counter the growing effectiveness and popularity of the Campaign for Nuclear Disarmament.

In August 1983 the Home Secretary is alleged to have authorised a phone tap of CND headquarters. This was done for purely party political reasons, in clear breach of the security services operational rules and against assurances about the "entirely legitimate activity" of CND given by the Home Secretary to the House on 20 December 1984 and repeated to the Home Affairs Select Committee as recently as 30 January 1985.

These are serious allegations of political interference and misuse of the security services by Cabinet Ministers and the IBA has prevented proper public examination of them. Because of the seriousness of the allegations the House will agree that they should be urgently debated here. I seek the Adjournment of the House for that specific and important purpose.

Mr. Speaker

The hon. Member for Birmingham, Erdington (Mr. Corbett) asks leave to move the Adjournment of the House for the purpose of discussing a specific and important matter that he thinks should have urgent consideration, namely, the ban imposed last night by the Independent Broadcasting Authority on Channel 4's '20:20 Vision' programme entitled 'MI5's Official Secrets'. I draw the hon. Gentleman's attention to the fact that we may debate matters only when ministerial responsibility is involved. The hon. Gentleman heard what the Leader of the House said at business questions today.

I have listened carefully to what the hon. Gentleman has said, but I regret that I do not consider the matter to be appropriate for discussion under Standing Order No. 10, and I cannot, therefore, submit his application to the House.