§ Mr. Peter BottomleyTo ask the Attorney-General, pursuant to this answer to the hon. Member for Hazel Grove (Sir T. Arnold) of 3 March,Official Report, column 792, if he will publish in the Official Report the notes on order 24 in the Supreme Court Practice concerning public interest immunity.
§ The Attorney-GeneralNo. It would not be appropriate to publish in theOfficial Report lengthy extracts from published works which are widely available. I have, however, placed a photocopy of the relevant pages of the Supreme Court Practice in the Library for ease of reference—deposited paper No. 10250.
§ Mr. Peter BottomleyTo ask the Attorney-General in what circumstances the actual documents to which Ministers have stated that public interest immunity should apply are not themselves made available to the judge.
§ The Attorney-GeneralThe court will decide, having regard to relevant case law, whether to inspect documents which are the subject of a claim for public interest immunity, and will always do so in a criminal case.
§ Mr. Peter BottomleyTo ask the Attorney-General if he will list the recent public statements by law officers concerning Crown privilege and public interest immunity.
§ The Attorney-GeneralI have no such list, but I refer to my answers to the hon. Member for Hazel Grove (Sir T. Arnold):
803W
- 15 December 1993, Official Report, column 640
- 20 January 1994, Official Report, column 726
- 3 February 1994, Official Report, column 833
- 3 March 1994, Official Report, column 792
- 15 March 1994, Official Report, column 576