§ Dr. Julian LewisTo ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will make a statement on the degree of access to confidential Government(a) documents and (b) briefings afforded to senior members and staff of the Royal Institute of International Affairs. [136246]
§ Mr. Robin CookI have been asked to reply.
All confidential Governmt documents and briefings are managed under established procedures, which apply without exemption.
We have regular exchanges with the Royal Institute of International Affairs (RIIA) and other similar organisations on many aspects of foreign policy, both privately and publicly.
Ministers and officials participate in RIIA hosted meetings. According to Chatham House, meetings of the Institute may be held "on the record" or under the Chatham House Rule. When a meeting, or part thereof, is held under the Chatham House Rule, participants are free to use information received, but neither the identity nor the affiliation of the speakers, nor that of any other participant, may be revealed; nor may it be mentioned that the information was received at a meeting of the Institute.