§ Mr. Dalyellasked the Attorney-General if, pursuant to his answer of 3 February, Official Report, column 14, the Solicitor-General will accept an invitation to give evidence to the Select Committee on Defence.
§ The Attorney-GeneralThe Solicitor-General has indicated to the Chairman of the Select Committee on Defence that it will not he possible for him to accept the Committee's invitation to appear before them. The Law Officers are not answerable to Parliament for the legal advice which they give to the Government and the established convention is that neither they nor anybody else should be aske to disclose whether, and if so in what circumstances, they have given such advice, let alone what such advice may have been. It was for that reason among others that it was agreed, when the present system of Select Committees was being established, that no Committee would be empowered to monitor the Law Officers or their Department.