§ Mr. Weetchasked the Secretary of State for the Home Department (1) what consideration has been given in his review of legislation on official secrets and public information to the position of the nationalised industries, including the Post Office;
(2) if, in any legislation to liberalise the law on official information, he proposes to include the activities of officials of nationalised industries.
§ Mr. Merlyn ReesThe Franks Committee on Section 2 of the Official Secrets Act 1911 recommended that nationalised industries generally should not be subject to the principal offence in a new Official Information Act to replace Section 2 but, because of their special position, it made an exception for members of the Atomic Energy Authority and the Post Office. 355W The details of the Government's own proposals, including the question of who should be covered by the principal offence in a new Act, are still under consideration.