§ The Earl of Northeskasked Her Majesty's Government:
Further to the Written Answer by Lord Bassam of Brighton on 4 May (WA 189), whether "defamatory" evidence submitted to the Committee on Standards in Public Life's study of conduct in the House of Lords will be referred to the Crown Prosecution Service. [HL2358]
§ The Lord Privy Seal (Baroness Jay of Paddington)This is a matter for the Committee on Standards in Public Life and will depend on the nature of the evidence in question. If it were to be germane to the planning or commission of an offence or to its investigation or prosecution, the committee would no doubt refer the information to the appropriate authorities.