§ Andrew MackinlayTo ask the Prime Minister whether the Wilson doctrine applying to tapping the telephones of hon. Members includes Members who have not taken the Oath. [112055]
§ The Prime MinisterThe position is as I informed the House on 19 December 2001,Official Report, column 367W, and confirmed last Wednesday, 30 April 2003 in an oral reply. The then Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for the Home Office, Lord Bassam, confirmed on 27 September 2000, Official Report, 730W column 137W, that this policy extended to Members of the House of Lords. It applies to all Members of Parliament.
With this long-standing exception in relation to Members of Parliament, it remains the normal policy of the Government neither to confirm nor deny allegations in respect of interception matters.