§ Mr. Arthur Lewisasked the Secretary of State for Trade whether he will give for all of the various public authorities and servants for which he has overall responsibility the number who are covered by the Official Secrets Act; how many have to sign a declaration under the Act at the latest date; and how these figures compare with October 1974.
§ Mr. Clinton DavisThe Official Secrets Acts apply to anyone entrusted with official information, and all members of336W the staff of my Department and the Export Credits Guarantee Department will have been invited to sign a declaration that the relevant provisions of the Acts have been brought to their attention. In addition, some of the members and staff of those public authorities and bodies for which I have overall responsibility, who have access to official information, will also have been invited to sign a similar declaration, but no central record of these declarations is kept. No comparisons between dates can be drawn, and the provisions for signature of a declaration have not been changed in the period in question.