§ Mr. Ashleyasked the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will publish in the Official Report the conclusion of the controller of forensic science regarding the full examination of the case papers in the case of Mr. Preece, about which the Secretary of State for Scotland wrote to the right hon. Member for Stoke-on-Trent, South on 3 May 1980; if this full examination of the case papers was made available to the High Court of Justiciary in Scotland; whether further written evidence was provided by his Department; and which forensic experts from his Department gave evidence.
§ Mr. WhitelawA full examination of the case papers was undertaken by a director of a regional forensic science laboratory and the findings were considered by the controller of forensic science. The controller concluded that while there was room for a difference of opinion on some of the conclusions drawn by Dr. Clift from the scientific evidence, the findings did not provide sufficient grounds for believing that there was an excess of zeal on Dr. Clift's part nor any material factual scientific inaccuracy in his evidence.
The report of this examination of the case papers, together with the controller's comments on it, were made available to the High Court of Justiciary. No other written evidence was given by the Home Office. Oral evidence was given by the controller of the forensic science service, by the directors of the forensic science laboratories at Birmingham and Chepstow and of the Home Office central research establishment, by Dr. R. P. Gregory and by Dr. Clift.