§ Mr. RoyTo ask the Prime Minister if he will make a statement about the Staff Counsellor for the Security and Intelligence Services. [155448]
§ The Prime MinisterSir John Chilcot GCB has served as Staff Counsellor for the Security and Intelligence Services (the Security Service, Secret Intelligence Service and GCHQ) since 1 April 1999. He was due to retire from the post on 31 March 2004. On 3 February, however, I appointed Sir John to the Committee to Review Intelligence on Weapons of Mass Destruction and he relinquished his role as Staff Counsellor that day.
I have now appointed John Warne CB, Director-General for Counter-Terrorism, Organised Crime, Drugs and International Affairs at the Home Office until September 2002, as his successor, with effect from 4 February 2004 and he will take on all new cases. Sir John Chilcot will continue to deal with those cases that he was handling prior to 3 February, and is confident that there is no conflict of interest.
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