§ Mr. Arthur Lewisasked the Secretary of State for the Home Department, in view of the fact that during a recent trial 216W Leonard Briggs was permitted to keep his passport, that he claimed he had arrangements with the police on a corrupt basis, that he escaped arrest and fled the country, and that files containing statements from missing witnesses were lost, whether he will move to appoint a Select Committee of senior Privy Councillors to investigate all aspects of this and related matters.
§ Mr. CarlisleNo. The Commissioner of Police of the Metropolis informs me that the allegations made by Mr. Briggs are already being fully investigated. Mr. Briggs was not under arrest when he failed to appear on the second day of his trial last month. He had been on bail since his arrest in September 1972, and the conditions of his bail were entirely a matter for the court, which did not require the surrender of his passport.