§ Mr. Edeasked the Attorney-General whether hon. Members who in to-day's Debate on Defence preparations offer questions or make statements can have his assurance that they will not in these connections be threatened with the use against them of the Official Secrets Acts?
§ The Attorney-GeneralIt is no part of the duty of the Attorney-General to give assurances as to circumstances which have not arisen and may not arise. Moreover at the present moment a Select Committee of this House is considering the applicability of the Official Secrets Acts to Members of the House and it would not therefore be right for me to make any 377W statement which might be regarded as a precedent or prejudge the issues which the Select Committee is considering.