§ Mr. Arthur Lewisasked the Attorney-General why the Lord Chancellor decided not to release all the documents and papers referring to Burgess, McLean and Philby under the 30-year procedure set out in the Public Records Act.
The Solicitor-GeneralThe papers in question have been retained by the Departments which hold them in accordance with the general approval granted by the then Lord Chancellor in 1967, under the proviso to section 3(4) of the Public Records Act 1958, whereby Departments may retain sensitive records related to security and intelligence matters.