§ 9.54 p.m.
§ Lord WakehamMy Lords, before the House begins the debate standing in the name of the noble Earl, Lord Longford, it might be convenient if I were to remind your Lordships of the sub judice rule and its application to the debate tonight.
As the House will be aware, Miss Hagan and Miss Croft have applied for leave to apply for judicial review of the decision of the Home Secretary taken on 27th May to order their immediate return to the United States. I understand that the case was heard in the High Court today and that the court's decision is to be announced tomorrow morning.
1052 The rules of this House about matters sub judice do not permit reference to be made to matters under adjudication in a court and so rule out any reference this evening to the merits of that application for leave to challenge that decision of the Secretary of State. However, there has been wide publicity relating to the matters which led to the Home Secretary's decision and there has been no suggestion that publicity has posed any danger of prejudice to the various proceedings in English courts.
I suggest that it will be possible for this House to discuss the case of Miss Hagan and Miss Croft as an example of the extradition cases to which the Motion relates without offending against oursub judice rules by discussing the matters under adjudication by the High Court on their application for judicial review.