§ Mr. WilshireTo ask the Prime Minister if he will make it his Department's policy to return to the relevant Select Committee leaked copies of unpublished committee documents. [73935]
§ The Prime MinisterAs Members of the House, Ministers abide by its practices and conventions. I note that the Speaker has said in her letter of 1 March to the Chairman of the Select Committee on Standards and Privileges that the fundamental responsibility of Members who find themselves in possession of leaked committee papers must be to act in a way which does not impede the committee in the discharge of its responsibilities to the House. My right hon. Friend the Foreign Secretary made it clear on 24 February 1999,Official Report, column 417, that he and the Minister of State, Foreign and Commonwealth office, my hon. Friend the Member for Manchester, Central (Mr. Lloyd), had acted properly in this regard by not taking any action to interfere with the work of a Select Committee or give premature disclosure.
I also note that the Speaker has requested that, in the absence of an existing decision by the House, the Committee consider the points of order raised with her by the hon. Member and the hon. Member for Witney (Mr. Woodward) with a view to drawing up guidance for general application in such circumstances. Ministers, as members of the House, would of course abide by any future ruling on this matter.