§ Mr. SinghTo ask the Solicitor-General when the report of the inquiry into the circumstances surrounding the collapse of the case, R.v. Doran & Others, is due to be handed to the Attorney-General; and if the report will be published. [117318]
The Solicitor-GeneralI have been informed by His Honour Gerald Butler QC that his report is close to completion, but I am not in a position to provide a specific date by which the finished report will be provided to the Attorney-General. The question of publication is a matter for the Attorney-General and the Chairman of HM Customs and Excise. As the previous Attorney-General, my right hon. and learned Friend the Member for Aberavon (Sir J. Morris) stated in his parliamentary answer of 22 July 1999,Official Report, column 607W, a summary of the report and its recommendations will be made available to the House.
§ Mr. SinghTo ask the Solicitor-General what factors led to the delay in the reporting of the inquiry into the circumstances surrounding the case, R.v. Doran & Others. [117319]
The Solicitor-GeneralI have been informed by His Honour Gerald Butler QC that the inquiry took longer than anticipated for three reasons: (1) there were delays in providing the inquiry with all the relevant 469W documentation; (2) the documentation was substantially more voluminous than anticipated when the inquiry was established; (3) there were far more witnesses to be interviewed than was thought to be the case at the outset. The inquiry has received evidence from, and interviewed, 37 witnesses.