§ 59. Mr. Liptonasked the Prime Minister whether he will set up a committee to examine the extent of the recent use of prerogative powers by Secretaries of State to intercept telephonic and postal communications.
§ 60. Mr. Langford-Holtasked the Prime Minister whether he will appoint a committee of Privy Councillors to advise Her Majesty's Secretaries of State in the exercise of their powers to authorise the tapping of private telephone lines in cases involving national security and the detection of serious crime.
§ The Prime MinisterI would be glad, together with my right hon. Friend the Home Secretary, to confer with the Leader of the Opposition and the Leader of the Liberal Party, if they are willing to do so, with a view to considering how certain aspects of this matter could best be handled in future.