§ Q37. Mr. Hunterasked the Prime Minister what rules exist governing the availability of classified documents to hon. Members; and up to what level of classification such documents may be shown to hon. Members.
§ The Prime MinisterAs a general rule Members of Parliament are allowed access to information graded "restricted". Access to confidential information may be allowed if authorised by the responsible Minister and to more highly classified information with the approval of the Prime Minister.
The rales about access to classified information for hon. Members serving on Select Committees are to be found in the document "Select Committees: Memorandum of Guidance for Officials", a copy of which is in the Library of the House of Commons.