asked the Attorney-General if he will list all the occasions since 1979 on which he has sought advice from outside Her Majesty's Government in cases involving alleged breaches of the Official Secrets Acts in relation to (a) his assessment of the extent of any damage to national security for the purposes of determining the need for and scope of police inquiries and (b) his subsequent decision as to whether to bring a prosecution; and if he will make a statement.

Any request for advice from outside Her Majesty's Government would be confidential, but it is not the Attorney-General's practice to seek such advice, other than on questions of law or evidence, in which event he may consult counsel or the police.

asked the Attorney-General to what extent (a) he and (b) the Director of Public Prosecutions are being kept informed about progress with the police inquiries initiated by him into alleged breaches of the Official Secrets Acts in relation to project Zircon; and if he will make a statement.

The Director of Public Prosecutions is being kept informed about the progress of the police inquiries and is himself keeping me generally informed. The Director has not yet received any papers from the police.

asked the Attorney-General what is his practice with regard to keeping other Ministers informed about the progress of police inquiries initiated by him into alleged breaches of the Official Secrets Acts; and if he will make a statement.

Whether and to what extent the Attorney-General would keep other Ministers informed about the progress of police inquiries into such alleged offences would depend on the circumstances of the particular case.

asked the Attorney-General if he sought any advice from outside Her Majesty's Government prior to initiating police inquiries into alleged breaches of the Official Secrets Acts in relation to project Zircon; and if he will make a statement.

No.