Mr. and Mrs. Robert Oliver Hill

HL Deb 04 June 1997 vol 580 c41WA

Lord Spens

asked Her Majesty's Government:

Whether they authorised the Government of South Africa to have access to the Home Office file on Mr. and Mrs. Robert Oliver Hill; and, if so, on what date was this authority given.

Lord Williams of Mostyn

Counsel for the Government of South Africa were given access to the Home Office immigration file on Mr. and Mrs. Hill by the Metropolitan Police on 9 July 1996.

It is the policy of the Home Office Immigration and Nationality Directorate to co-operate fully with any police investigation or criminal prosecution and to disclose information from its files to the police on request. The disclosure of information gathered by the police in the course of an investigation is a matter for the chief officer of the force concerned, subject to the order of a court.