§ Mr. Sandelsonasked the Attorney-General whether it is his intention to refer to the Director of Public Prosecutions matters arising out of the Companies Act inquiry into the affairs of Lonrho; and whether he will make a statement on the usual practice in such cases.
§ The Attorney-GeneralI am informed that the inspectors' report has been referred to the Director and that he asked the police for assistance. It would be wrong, however, to attach any special significance to these facts. It is the frequent practice in the case of a complex Department of Trade inquiry for the Secretary of State to pass a copy of the inspectors' report to the Director to enable him to consider whether or not any action is called for by him. If the Director considers that further information is required, it is usual for him to request the police to carry out an investigation, since his department has no facilities for making inquiries. In this case, this course has been followed and the police have been requested to investigate certain specific matters arising out of the report.