§ Mr. McNamaraasked the Prime Minister on what dates in 1984 and 1985 she met Lord Aldington to discuss the affairs of Westland plc.
§ The Prime MinisterThere were no such meetings.
§ Mr. Meadowcroftasked the Prime Minister (1) whether she authorised the formal declassification of the Solicitor-General's letter of 6 January to the then Secretary of State for Defence, the right hon. Member for Henley (Mr. Heseltine) and if she will make a statement;
(2) when the Solicitor-General's letter of 6 January to the then Secretary of State for Defence, the right hon. Member for Henley (Mr. Heseltine) was formally declassified; and if she will make a statement.
§ The Prime MinisterThe Law Officers authorised the declassification and publication of the letter to which the hon. Member referred on 15 January, and it was accordingly placed that afternoon in the Library of the House by my right hon. Friend the Lord Privy Seal.
§ Mr. Cohenasked the Prime Minister, pursuant to her statement of 27 January, Official Report, column 657, what action she took or instructions she gave, and to whom, upon discovering the fact of the disclosure of extracts from the Solicitor-General's letter of 6 January some hours after it had occurred; and if she will make a statement.
§ Mr. Dalyellasked the Prime Minister (1) on what grounds a non-attributable disclosure to the Press Association was chosen as the means of bringing the Solicitor-General's letter of 6 January to the then Secretary of State for Defence, the right hon. Member for Henley (Mr. Heseltine), into the public domain; and if she will make a statement;
(2) when she first knew that a Westland board meeting and press conference were to be held at 4 pm on 6 January
(3) if she had formed any view as to whether the Solicitor-General's opinion about the material inaccuracy of the then Secretary of State for Defence's letter to the European consortium should be brought into the public damain, before a copy of the Solicitor-General's letter to the then Secretary of State for Defence was received in her office; and if she will make a statement;
(4) if she knew from her discussions with her office on 7 January that the disclosure of the Solicitor-General's letter to the then Secretary of State for Defence had been made by officials of the Department of Trade and Industry; and if she will make a statement;
(5) if she knew from her discussions with her office on 7 January whether the Department of Trade and Industry officials had asked for the disclosure of the letter from the Solicitor-General to the then Secretary of State for Defence to be made from No. 10 Downing street, and if she will make a statement;
(6) if she knew from her discussions with her office on 7 January that the disclosure of the Solicitor-General's letter of 6 January to the then Secretary of State for Defence had been unauthorised; and if she will make a statement;
71W(7) when she first became aware that the Solicitor-General had agreed to write to the then Secretary of State for Defence alleging material inaccuracies in his letter to the European consortium;
(8) if she had any discussions with her private office between 4 January and 1.30 pm on 6 January either concerning the possibility of bringing into the public domain the Solicitor-General's opinion that the then Secretary of State for Defence's letter to the European consortium contained material inaccuracies, or concerning the way in which the anticipated letter from the Solicitor-General to the then Secretary of State for Defence should be handled; and if she will make a statement.
§ The Prime MinisterI have nothing to add to what I said in my statement to the House on 23 January and my speech in the debate on 27 January.