§ Lord Diamondasked Her Majesty's Government:
How many days intervened between the giving of the guarantee of the Sequestrator's costs (in carrying out his duties in connection with the fine for contempt of court imposed on the NUM) and the notification to Parliament, and whether there are sufficient precedents to establish that such a lapse of time is normal where a contingent liability has been entered into without the knowledge of Parliament.
§ The Lord ChancellorThere was an interval of 27 days between the giving of the indemnity and the presentation of the relevant Revised Supplementary Estimate to the House of Commons. The indemnity was given in order to ensure that a penalty imposed by the High Court for a deliberate contempt of court was not successfully evaded. The Attorney General's action thus arose from the exercise of his normal function,ex officio, as the guardian of the public interest and the indemnity fell within the ambit of the Law Charges Vote. The Revised Supplementary Estimates for the Law Charges Vote were then being prepared for early presentation to Parliament and the incorporation in them of a sub-head for the indemnity, together with an accompanying explanatory memorandum from the Financial Secretary to the Treasury provided the appropriate means of notifying the indemnity to Parliament.