§ 36. Mr. Winnickasked the Attorney-General if he considered granting immunity from prosecution to any other civil servant involved in the disclosure of the Solicitor-General's letter to the then Secretary of State for Defence.
§ The Attorney-GeneralNo, Sir.
§ Mr. WinnickWhat remains puzzling is why the director of information at the Department of Trade and Industry was apparently given immunity from prosecution but that the same was true for no other civil servant, including Mr. Powell at No. 10, who certainly had a hand in the leaking of the letter from the Solicitor-General to the then Defence Secretary. Why was the decision to write the letter taken? Does the Attorney-General agree, on reflection, that the Solicitor-General was used by the Prime Minister, and that she prompted him to write the letter to the then Defence Secretary?
§ Sir Michael HaversThe answer to the first question is that nobody even suggested, let alone asked me to grant immunity to anyone else, so that matter did not arise. As for the hon. Gentleman's second question, I repeat yet again that there was no question of my hon. and learned Friend being used. He carried out his duty in the normal way.