HC Deb 27 November 2000 vol 357 cc444-5W
Dr. Julian Lewis

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department (1) if it is his policy to pass files on British Stasi agents to the Crown Prosecution Service for a decision to be taken on whether to prosecute them; [136320]

(2) when the Security Service made a full examination of the Berlin Stasi archive in relation to British Stasi agents; [136251]

(3) when the Government first obtained evidence of the existence of reports to the Stasi from a source in Chatham House; [136247]

(4) what criteria the Government uses in deciding whether (a) to pass files to the Crown Prosecution Service for possible prosecution and (b) to reveal publicly the names of past secret agents of hostile intelligence agencies in peace-time. [136249]

Mr. Straw

It has been long-standing Government policy not to comment on the work of the Security Service. I can add nothing to the written answers that I gave the hon.

Member about the East German Stasi on 2 November 2000, Official Report, column 610W; 9 November 2000, Official Report, column 398W; and 20 November 2000, Official Report, columns 80–81W.