§ Mr. BakerTo ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department in what circumstances MI5 is permitted to determine that a file is not suitable for Ministerial eyes. [18685]
§ Mr. Straw[holding answer 4 November 1997]: By virtue of section 2(2)(a) of the Security Service Act 1989, the Director General of the Security Service is under a duty to ensure that there are arrangements in place for securing that no information is disclosed by the Service except so far as is necessary for the proper discharge of its functions, for the purpose of preventing or detecting serious crime or for the purpose of any criminal proceedings. The Director General must have regard to these provisions in deciding what information in the possession of the Service should be disclosed to persons or organisations outside the Service.