HC Deb 04 March 1999 vol 326 cc873-6W
Mr. Wilshire

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs (1) when and how he was made aware of certain key conclusions of the Foreign Affairs Committee on Sierra Leone; [73702]

  • (2) by what means the copy of the draft report of the Foreign Affairs Committee Sierra Leone inquiry which was sent in the second week in January was delivered to his office; [73574]
  • (3) when (a) he and (b) his Ministers first saw the copy of the draft report of the Foreign Affairs Committee Sierra Leone inquiry sent to his office during the second week of January; and what he did with the draft report; [73576]
  • (4) what use was made by (a) him, (b) his Ministers, (c) his Department's PPSs, (d) advisers and (e) officials of the draft report of the Foreign Affairs Committee on Sierra Leone; [73704]
  • (5) with whom, and when, he discussed the draft report of the Foreign Affairs Committee Sierra Leone inquiry which was sent in the second week in January; [73575]
  • (6) when (a) the Minister who signed the written answer to the hon. Member for Chesham and Amersham (Mrs. Gillan) of 16 February 1999, Official Report,column 751, and (b) the officials who drafted the written answer first learnt of the fact that a copy of the draft report had been received in his Department; [73636]
  • (7) how many copies were made of the leaked Foreign Affairs Committee documents relating to the committee's Sierra Leone inquiry; and to whom they were circulated; [73799]
  • (8) who received the fax containing the leaked Foreign Affairs Committee document received in the second week of January; and if he will list the (a) officials and (b) Ministers who had sight of the document; [73939]
  • (9) with which other members of the Government (a) he and (b) his Ministers discussed the existence of leaked Foreign Affairs Committee documents before the Minister of State, the hon. Member for Manchester, Central (Mr. Lloyd) agreed to the answer to the question from the hon. Member for Chesham and Amersham (Mrs. Gillan) of 23 February 1999, Official Report, columns 259–60; [73911]
  • (10) in which office the fax machine that received the leaked Foreign Affairs Committee document relating to the committee's Sierra Leone Inquiry was located; [73936]
  • (11) when (a) he, (b) any of his Ministers, (c) his officials, (d) his advisers and (e) his departmental parliamentary private secretaries first discussed leaked Foreign Affairs Committee documents relating to the Committee's Sierra Leone inquiry with the hon. Member for Dundee, West (Mr. Ross); [73897]
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  • (12) if he will place in the Library the original fax of the leaked Foreign Affairs Committee document relating to the committee's Sierra Leone Inquiry; [73937]
  • (13) when (a) he, (b) his Ministers, (c) his officials, (d) his advisers and (e) his departmental parliamentary private secretaries first knew that the hon. Member for Dundee, West (Mr. Ross) was the source of the leaked documents relating to the Foreign Affairs Committee's Sierra Leone inquiry; [73896]
  • (14) how many pages long the faxed document was containing the draft Foreign Affairs Committee report on the Sierra Leone inquiry which was received during the second week in January; [73938]

Mr. Woodward

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs (1) if the Minister of State, the hon. Member for Manchester, Central (Mr. Lloyd), his PPS, his advisers, or civil servants, had sight of or discussions about the Foreign Affairs Committee's Sierra Leone (i) report, (ii) draft report and (iii) amendments or selected details of the draft or final version before 8 am on Tuesday 9 February; [73699]

  • (2) who was responsible for the leaks to him subsequent to the leak of the full draft of the Foreign Affairs Committee report on Sierra Leone; [73696]
  • (3) what action he took to report to the House the leak of the key conclusions of the Foreign Affairs Committee on Sierra Leone referred to in his answer to the hon. Member for Chesham and Amersham (Mrs. Gillan), 23 February 1999, Official Report, columns 259–60; [73701]
  • (4) who in his office saw the leaked draft of the Foreign Affairs Committee's report on Sierra Leone; if it was discussed with him; and if it was discussed with or shown to other Ministers, PPSs, civil servants or special advisers; [73698]
  • (5) what actions he took when he received the leaked draft report of the Foreign Affairs Committee on Sierra Leone in the second week of January; and what actions he took when he received subsequent leaks of the report's key conclusions; [73697]
  • (6) what actions he took to report the leak of the draft report of the Foreign Affairs Committee on Sierra Leone to (a) the House and (b) the Committee. [73700]

Mr. Garnier

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs (1) if he will specify the dates and times of all the discussions he held with his Permanent Secretary about the draft report between its receipt in the Foreign and Commonwealth Office and the publication of the Committee's report; [74287]

  • (2) if he will identify the Minister, official or special adviser whose office fax machine received the draft copy of the Foreign Affairs Committee's report on Sierra Leone from the hon. Member for Dundee, West (Mr. Ross); [74286]
  • (3) when the Minister of State, the hon. Member for Manchester, Central (Mr. Lloyd), informed the Chairman of the Foreign Affairs Committee that (i) he and (ii) members of his official and political staff had received a copy of the draft report on Sierra Leone; [74290]
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  • (4) when he first informed the Chairman of the Foreign Affairs Committee that (i) he and (ii) members of his official and political staff had received a copy of the draft report on Sierra Leone. [74289]
Mrs. Gillan

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs (1) what action he took when he discovered that the Foreign Affairs Committee's draft report on Sierra Leone had been passed to his office in January; [73631]

  • (2) when (a) he, (b) Ministers, (c) his Department's officials and (d) special advisers first saw a copy of the draft report from the Foreign Affairs Committee on Sierra Leone; [73635]
  • (3) how long after receiving (a) the leaked draft and (b) the leaked key conclusions of the Foreign Affairs Committee report on Sierra Leone he informed the Permanent Secretary that these documents were in his possession; [74327]
  • (4) how he indicated to the hon. Member for Dundee, West (Mr. Ross) that he had received the leaked draft copy of the report by the Foreign Affairs Committee on Sierra Leone; [74330]
  • (5) what account the Minister of State, the hon. Member for Manchester, Central (Mr. Lloyd), took of the leak of the draft report of the Foreign Affairs Committee on Sierra Leone in answering the question from the hon. Member for Chesham and Amersham on 16 February 1999, Official Report, column 751 (ref. 71829); [74334]
  • (6) if any (a) special adviser, (b) Minister, (c) hon. Member, (d) official or (e) other person solicited a copy of the draft of the Foreign Affairs Committee report on Sierra Leone from the hon. Member for Dundee, West (Mr. Ross); [74329]
  • (7) which special adviser at his Department received the leaked key conclusions of the report of the Foreign Affairs Committee on Sierra Leone; [74328]
  • (8) if he will list all those (a) Ministers, (b) special advisers, (c) officials, (d) hon. Members and (e) others who were (i) told about and (ii) given copies of the leaked draft of the Foreign Affairs Committee report on Sierra Leone before 8 am on 9 February 1998; [74326]
  • (9) what account he took of paragraph 1.1.(iii) of the Ministerial Code when approving the answer given by the Minister of State, the hon. Member for Manchester, Central (Mr. Lloyd), to the question from the hon. Member for Chesham and Amersham on 16 February 1999, Official Report, column 751(ref. 71829); [74336]
  • (10) what account the Minister of State, the hon. Member for Manchester, Central (Mr. Lloyd), took of paragraph 1.1.(iii) of the Ministerial Code when answering the question from the hon. Member for Chesham and Amersham on 16 February 1999, Official Report, column 751(ref. 71829); [74335]
  • (11) if he will list the (a) complete and (b) partial (i) copies and (ii) drafts of select committee reports, apart from the one relating to Sierra Leone from the Foreign Affairs Committee, which he has received before publication. [73577]

Mr. Robin Cook

[holding answers 26 February and 1 March 1999]: I refer the hon. Members to the answer I gave to the hon. Member for Chesham and Amersham (Mrs. Gillan) on 23 February 1999, Official Report, columns 259-60 and to my Statement to the House on 24 February 1999, Official Report, column 415.

The draft report was seen by me, the Minister of State, my hon. Friend the Member for Manchester, Central (Mr. Lloyd) and a limited number of officials.

Mrs. Gillan

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if(a) he, (b) his officials, (c) his special advisers and (d) his Ministers provided (i) assistance and (ii) advice to the hon. Member for Dundee, West (Mr. Ross) in the drafting of amendments to the Foreign Affairs Committee draft report on Sierra Leone. [73633]

Mr. Robin Cook

[holding answer 26 February 1999]: No action was taken to publish or disclose any part of the Foreign Affairs Committee's Report on Sierra Leone, or to interfere in any way with their preparation or the Committee's deliberations on them. No advice or assistance was given to any Member of the Select Committee in the drafting of amendments.