§ Mr. WallaceTo ask the Secretary of State for Scotland what criteria are applied by his Department with regard to the disclosure to third parties of ministerial replies to hon. Members, without the consent of the hon. Member concerned.
§ Mr. RifkindI would hope to avoid disclosing to third parties any correspondence with an hon. Member which might cause him or his constituents embarrassment, for example because it dealt with personal matters or with other matters that had been raised on a confidential basis. But where a number of Members have written to me about an issue which has aroused wide interest, there have been occasions when copies of replies sent by me or on my behalf have been distributed quite widely. If a particular case is causing the hon. Member concern, he may care to write to me.