§ 28. Mr. AllenTo ask the Attorney-General how many memoranda (a) the Law Officers and (b) the Lord Chancellor have submitted to the departmental Select Committees since 1979.
§ The Attorney-GeneralNo central record is maintained in either Department of evidence submitted to departmental Select Committees. There is no record of a Law Officer having submitted such a memorandum, but on one occasion written questions which had been addressed to a Law Officer were answered by letter. Inquiries indicate that since 1979 four memoranda have been submitted by the Lord Chancellor's Department.
§ Mr. AllenWhy is there not a Select Committee covering the work of the Attorney-General's Department?
§ The Attorney-GeneralBecause the House of Commons so decided in 1979.
§ Mr. MatesHas not the action in pursuing the "Spycatcher" saga been entirely justified by the subsequent—
§ Mr. SpeakerOrder. That relates to the previous question. We are now on question 28.
§ Mr. Campbell-SavoursHas the Attorney-General's Department never submitted a memorandum on the operation of the Official Secrets Act? Does it intend in the near future to submit a memorandum on the operation of that Act? Prior to the debate on Friday, can we expect a statement on the Government's proposals for reform of that legislation?
§ The Attorney-GeneralThe answer to the first two questions is no. The answer to the third question is that that is a matter for the Home Secretary.