§ Mr. Dalyellasked the Attorney-General, pursuant to his answer of 6 April, Official Report, column 1, what information the Director of Public Prosecutions has as to the reasons for the length of the police inquiries concerning the possible prosecution of Lord Rothschild under section 2 of the Official Secrets Act; if the police have given the Director of Public Prosecutions any indication as to when those inquiries are likely to be completed; and if he will make a statement.
The Attorney-GeneralThe police inquiries have necessarily been lengthy and complicated. Unfortunately, these had not been completed when the officer in charge of the case had to undertake an entirely separate task. However, the Director of Public Prosecutions now expects to receive an interim report from the Metropolitan police by the end of next week.