§ Mr. Dalyellasked the Attorney-General what was the cost of Detective Superintendent Hardy's visit to the West Indies with a colleague on the investigation relating to the loss of HMS Conqueror's log book.
§ The Solicitor-GeneralSix thousand nine hundred and forty pounds and eighty two pence.
§ Mr. Dalyellasked the Attorney-General whether he has any conveniently available figures for the cost of the inquiry into the loss of HMS Conqueror's log book.
§ The Solicitor-GeneralSo far as concerns the cost of the police investigation in the West Indies, I refer the hon. Member to the answer which I have just given to his question on that matter. I am not able to quantify the other costs of the police investigation. In so far as the question relates to the inquiry made by naval authorities, it is a matter for my right hon. Friend, the Secretary of State for Defence.
§ Mr. Dalyellasked the Attorney-General if the conclusion of the Director of Public Prosecutions that 192W further police investigations were unlikely to produce any evidence of the commission of a criminal offence regarding the disappearance of the control room log of HMS Conqueror was based on information about the whereabouts at the time, or the current whereabouts, of the relevant portions of the log; and if he will make a statement.
§ The Solicitor-GeneralThe police investigations were unable to identify at what point of time or in what circumstances the control room logs in question were improperly handled with the result that they are now missing. Their present whereabouts are not known. The conclusion that further investigations are unlikely to provide evidence of the commission of a criminal offence is based on the inconclusiveness of the information so far obtained about the circumstances in which the logs disappeared and the absence of any leads to further avenues of inquiry which might throw light on those circumstances.
§ Mr. Dalyellasked the Attorney-General pursuant to the answer of 21 October, Official Report, column 12, regarding the disappearance of the control room log of HMS Conqueror, whether the police inquiry revealed that a criminal offence had been committed: and if he will make a statement.
§ The Solicitor-GeneralI refer the hon. Member to my reply of 21 October. The conclusion of the Director of Public Prosecutions, in the light of the report of the police investigations, was that the evidence available did not establish that a criminal offence had been committed in connection with the disappearance of the logs. I concurred in that conclusion.