§ Mr. MullinTo ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will call for a report from the Chief Constable of Merseyside on(a) the disciplinary action against officers involved in the Eddie Gilfoyle case recommended by the Police Complaints Authority, (b) the date on which Merseyside Police received the PCA report, (c) the date set for disciplinary hearings and (d) the reason for the delay. [38831]
§ Mr. MichaelTwo Merseyside police officers have been charged with disciplinary offences of neglect of duty and falsehood arising from allegations about the investigation of the murder of Mr. Gilfoyle's wife. Following an investigation of the allegations by Lancashire Constabulary, supervised by the Police Complaints Authority (PCA), the PCA announced in November 1995 that it had agreed disciplinary charges proposed by the Merseyside Police. Before these charges could be heard, further complaints were received about the case which led to a PCA-supervised investigation by Cheshire Constabulary. The PCA announced in March last year that it had again agreed the force's disciplinary recommendations and the hearings are now due to take place next month. I understand that the force originally planned to hold a hearing in December 1997, but that non-availability of the officers' legal counsel led to further delay. My hon. Friend will be aware of the response made by my right hon. Friend to the report of the Home Affairs Select Committee, which my hon. Friend chairs and we will continue to examine ways of avoiding the unacceptable levels of delay in the police discipline system.