§ Mr. Alfred Morrisasked the Attorney-General what has been the involvement of the Director of Public Prosecutions in events relating to the suspension of the deputy chief constable of Greater Manchester; and if he will make a statement.
§ The Attorney-GeneralI take the question to refer to the decision by the Greater Manchester police authority to 267W request the deputy chief constable to take leave of absence. This was a decision for the authority alone and not for the Director. Neither the Director of Public Prosecutions for England and Wales nor the Director of Public Prosecutions for Northern Ireland had any involvement in events leading up to that decision. For completeness, I should add that subsequently the Director of Public Prosecutions (England and Wales) has received a preliminary report concerning Kevin Taylor (whose name has been associated with the Deputy Chief Constable) with a view to him advising as to appropriate lines of inquiry. However, that is a separate matter.