HL Deb 27 March 2002 vol 633 cc230-2

3 p.m.

Lord Smith of Clifton

asked Her Majesty's Government:

What are the implications of the break-in at Castlereagh police station in Northern Ireland and the theft of classified information; and what steps they are taking to prevent a reoccurrence.

Lord Williams of Mostyn

My lord, this was a most serious incident. The Government are determined that the facts should be established as quickly as possible and that all necessary remedial action is taken. The Secretary of State very promptly established a review of the incident to be conducted by the former Permanent Under-Secretary of the Northern Ireland Office, Sir John Chilcot, and the former Inspector of Constabulary, Mr Colin Smith, who will act as an assessor. This will run in parallel with the criminal investigation conducted by the Police Service of Northern Ireland. The terms of reference of the review have been placed in the Library.

Lord Smith of Clifton

My Lords, I thank the noble and learned Lord for that reply. When is it expected that Sir John Chilcot will reach his conclusions on the matter? Why are so many papers—I have asked questions about this previously—seemingly so easily purloined time and again in Northern Ireland? Does he agree that the blatant theft from one state agency by another makes it extremely difficult to condemn the equally illegal activities of others in Northern Ireland?

Lord Williams of Mostyn

My Lords, I cannot say when Sir John will report. It would be improper to speculate. We want a full, in-depth and detailed investigation. The noble Lord said that the documents were easily purloined. That is one of the points that Sir John will have to investigate. We need to wait for his informed conclusions. The noble Lord spoke of theft by one state agency of documents belonging to another state agency. There is no proof or evidence of that. We must see what Sir John's conclusions are before we jump to hasty, sometimes dangerous and very often unfair conclusions.

Lord Kilclooney

My Lords, many people are concerned about the cost of inquiries in Northern Ireland. For example, the Bloody Sunday inquiry cost an estimated £200 million. While we are discussing this serious matter, I ask why it is necessary to have three inquiries instead of one.

Lord Williams of Mostyn

My Lords, the ombudsman for Northern Ireland is not presently continuing her investigation. I believe that the Secretary of State was absolutely right and that noble Lords would have been most displeased if no immediate inquiry had been ordered. That inquiry is into the general matters that are contained in the terms of reference, which are: how unauthorised access was gained; the extent of any damage to national security; the adequacy of actions subsequently taken to mitigate any damage; how to prevent unauthorised access there and in similar buildings elsewhere in Northern Ireland; and whether there are any wider lessons to be learned. None of those matters would be comprehended properly in a police investigation. Therefore, the Police Service of Northern Ireland is rightly investigating allegations of crime and Sir John is rightly investigating the matters that I have detailed.

Viscount Bledisloe

My Lords, does the noble and learned Lord the Leader of the House recognise that the remarks that he has just made—they were to the effect that it is desirable to wait until reports have teen received before one leaps to conclusions—bear some resemblance to the arguments that were advanced by the rest of the House yesterday on the Animal Health Bill but which were rejected by the Government? Would he like to explain why on one day it is not desirable to wait until reports are received before rushing into action but on the next day it is necessary to do so?

Lord Williams of Mostyn

My Lords, because the two situations are entirely dissimilar.

Noble Lords

Oh!

Lord Williams of Mostyn

And, my Lords, yesterday was yesterday!