§ Mr. Budgenasked the Attorney-General what progress is being made by the committee on discovery of documents under the chairmanship of Mr. Justice Bingham.
§ The Attorney-GeneralAs announced by my hon. and learned Friend the then Solicitor-General to this House on 19 October 1982, this committee was set up by the Lord Chancellor following the decision of the House of Lords that the hon. Member for Peckham (Ms. Harman), as she has since become, was in contempt of court. After that decision the hon. Member submitted an application to the European Commission of Human Rights on the grounds that the United Kingdom was in breach of the European convention. The Commission has now ruled that the hon. Member's application is admissible in relation to article 10 of the convention, but has not yet given an opinion on the merits of her application. In view of this and of the possibility of the issue coming before the European Court, the Lord Chancellor has requested the committee to suspend its proceedings.