§ Mr. Christopher Priceasked the Secretary of State for the Home Department, pursuant to the answer to the hon. 405W Member for Lewisham West on 18 October, Official Report, c. 24, if he will set out in the Official Report the criteria he uses to decide whether an officer of the Metropolitan Police shall be entitled to support from public funds in actions of defamation; and whether the seniority of such officers is a factor in any such decisions.
§ Mr. Mayhew:The defamation must be serious and it must have attracted substantial publicity; it must be shown to be in the interests of the force, or the police service as a whole, to take proceedings; and there must be a reasonable chance of a successful action. The seniority of the officer concerned does not affect the application of these criteria.
§ Mr. Christopher Priceasked the Secretary of State for the Home Department, pursuant to the answer to the hon. Member for Lewisham, West on 18 October, Official Report,c. 24, what was the cost to public funds in each of the actions named therein; and whether the damages in the cases which have been concluded have been used to offset fully any cost to public funds.
§ Mr. Mayhew:There were no costs to public funds in the actions which have been concluded, as the plaintiffs' costs were paid by the defendants. The position regarding costs in the remaining cases will not be known until they have been concluded.