§ Mr. CryerTo ask the Attorney-General what action the Lord Chancellor has taken in respect of papers relating to the case of Derek Bentley; and if he will make a statement on his policy regarding making the papers available to the public.
The Attorney-GeneralThe Metropolitan police file on the Bentley case held by the Public Record Office is closed for 75 years under a Lord Chancellor's instrument, made under section 5(1) of the Public Records Act 1958. Two excerpts from the Home Office file are likewise closed for 75 years; the file as a whole will not be 30 years old until 1996. The court file is awaiting transfer to the Public Record Office and will be open to inspection on transfer. Questions of access to records which are subject to extended closure under the Public Records Act, or which are not yet 30 years old, are the responsibility of the originating department.