§ Mr. Arthur Lewisasked the Attorney-General why he will not publish in the OFFICIAL REPORT his letter to the hon. Member for West Ham, North, dated 8th July, 1971, relating to defendants' costs in the recent Sunday Telegraph secrets case.
§ The Attorney-GeneralI do not consider that any useful purpose would be served by publishing that letter in the OFFICIAL REPORT. As I have already explained to the hon. Member, the judge in theSunday Telegraph case did not order the prosecution to pay the defence costs. He did order that these costs should be met out of local funds. When the Taxing Master at the Central Criminal Court has received bills from the solicitors for each of the defendants, he will be in a position to settle the amount of the costs.