§ Mr. John Mooreasked the Secretary of State for the Environment, inasmuch as the Layfield Report was not available to Members of Parliament until 19th May at 3.32 p.m. from the Vote Office, when it was circulated to certain members of the Press, which papers and media received advance copies; how many each received; to whom they were addressed at each organisation; and if 46W he will investigate the early detailed release of information to the media that enabled The Times to publish authoritative articles on Saturday 15th May.
§ Mr. ShoreAccording to the usual practice, as agreed between the Parties, advance Press copies were made available on the afternoon of 18th May for distribution through the Parliamentary Lobby. No other advance copies were issued to the media. The origins of the information published byThe Times group of newspapers on Saturday 15th May are already being investigated.