§ Lord Aveburyasked Her Majesty's Government:
Why Lord Elton claimed that Mr. Ian Cameron had written an article about the case of Mr. Frank Marritt and therefore had to sign an undertaking, as a journalist, "that he will not use any material obtained at the visit for professional purposes and in particular for publication by himself or any one else" when, in fact, Mr. Cameron is a bus driver and had merely written a letter, signed by himself and others, to the Guardian; and under what circumstances they intend seeking undertakings from visitors to prisoners that they will not publish information derived in the course of their visits.
§ The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State, Home Office (Lord Elton)Under Standing Order 5A 37, any journalist or author who is a friend or relative of a prisoner and who wishes to visit the prisoner in a private capacity is required to give a written undertaking that he will not use material obtained at the interview for professional purposes and in particular for publication by himself or others; Mr. Cameron was asked to give this undertaking because he was believed to be a journalist. It has since become clear that this belief was mistaken. Mr. Cameron has received an apology for this mistake, about which I have also written to the noble Lord.