§ Mr. RiddickTo ask the Attorney-General what action he intends to take to stop the self-confessed spy Ursula Beurton from profiting from the sale of her book; and if he will refer the case of Mr. and Mrs. Beurton to the Director of Public Prosecutions to decide what case there is to answer in light of Mrs. Beurton's admission in the book that she and her husband were Soviet intelligence officers.
§ The Attorney-GeneralThe case of Mr. and Mrs. Beurton has been drawn to the attention of the acting Director of Public Prosecutions. Taking into account all the circumstances, in particular their ages, the lapse of some 50 years since any Official Secrets Act offences may have been committed and the context in which they were then operating, the acting Director has decided that it would not be in the public interest to take any action against them in respect of these offences. There does not at present appear to be any basis for civil proceedings in respect of the publication of the book.