§ Lord Spensasked Her Majesty's Government:
Whether the letter of 4 January 1989 (disclosed in the Mail on Sunday) from Mr. W. B. Willott of the Department of Trade and Industry to Mrs. Olsen of the Serious Fraud Office discussing the merits of appealing the decision reached in the Licensed Dealers Report and Recommendations in the matter of TWH Management Ltd, that certain transactions including those related to Guinness plc created "no false market", was disclosed to the defendants in the Guinness trials as required by the High Court; and if not, why not. [HL50]
§ The Lord Chancellor (Lord Irvine of Lairg)The Attorney General exercises statutory superintendence over the Director of the Serious Fraud Office in the discharge of her functions. That superintendence does not extend to operational decisions taken about the disclosure of individual documents by the prosecution in any given case. The noble Lord, if he wishes to pursue this matter, should seek the assistance of the Director of the Serious Fraud Office.