§ Mr. Arthur Lewisasked the Secretary of State for the Home Department why, when the names and descriptions of the two men who, on Friday 1 August, escaped from Mousehold prison, Norwich, Norfolk, were supplied to the police around the country together with the fact that they were classified as category C prisoners, information as to their names and how they escaped was refused to the media.
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§ Mr. BrittanThe information referred to was available to the media at all times from the public relations branch of the Home Office and was given by them to callers. I understand that in addition some inquiries were directed to the police in the early hours of 2 August, the night of the escape, and were not answered substantively straight away. The matter has been drawn to the attention of the chief constable concerned.