§ Mr. RedmondTo ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department when and for what reasons public interest immunity certificates are issued; and if he will make a statement.
§ Mr. WaddingtonA certificate claiming public interest immunity may, exceptionally, be issued by the Secretary of State when information is sought by a party to legal proceedings relating to matters within his responsibility. It is not practicable to give a detailed description of the circumstances where such a claim would be made, but I would issue a certificate only if I was satisfied that it was necessary in the public interest to prevent disclosure of the information.
§ Mr. RedmondTo ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will list by date, and by location, the number of occasions in the past 10 years when public interest immunity certificates have been issued in the three counties of Yorkshire and Humberside concerning matters before coroners and other courts preventing members of the police forces and others within the remit of his Department from attending such courts, and to prevent such courts from hearing details of operations, indicating which operations were involved and how many individuals were covered by such certificates.
§ Mr. WaddingtonI refer the hon. Member to the reply that I gave to a question from the hon. Member for Kingston upon Hull, North (Mr. McNamara) on 17 October at column820.