§ Mr. Foulkesasked the Attorney-General if the investigation of possible offences in respect of documents alleged to have been leaked from the Overseas Development Administration has been completed; and if he will make a statement.
§ The Attorney-GeneralInvestigations which have been carried out by the Overseas Development Administration have resulted in an admission by a junior official of that Department, Mr. Geoffrey Dennis, that he had communicated a number of the Department's documents to an hon. Member of this House to whom he was not authorised to communicate them. The papers on the case were referred to the Director of Public Prosecutions, who in turn consulted me, for consideration of the possible prosecution of Mr. Dennis for an offence under the Official Secrets Acts. In the circumstances of this case it was decided that it was not necessary to have recourse to criminal proceedings.