To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department (1) in what circumstances reports of the Police Complaints Authority into particular cases are made public; [67870](2) what criteria are used to assess whether a report of the Police Complaints Authority into a specific complaint is made public; [67869](3) how many reports of the Police Complaints Authority into specific complaints have been made public; and if he will list them. [67868]

Complaint investigation reports are treated as confidential and are not published. The Police Complaints Authority is restricted by section 98 of the Police and Criminal Evidence Act 1984 from publishing information received in the course of its work other than in the form of a general summary.In its report on police disciplinary and complaints procedures, published in December 1997, the Home Affairs Committee recommended that the terms of section 98 should be relaxed to give the Authority greater freedom to explain its work to complainants and the public. The Government accepted that recommendation and will implement it when legislative time permits.Under section 97(2) of the 1984 Act, the Police Complaints Authority may report to the Secretary of State on any matters coming to their notice to which they consider his attention should be drawn by reason of their gravity or other exceptional circumstances. The report is laid before Parliament and published. Only two such reports have been made by the Police Complaints Authority, concerning the investigation of the West Midlands Serious Crime Squad and the Stephen Lawrence case.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what plans he has to make further appointments to the Police Complaints Authority. [68693]

I have recently appointed Mrs. Molly Meacher to the position of Deputy Chairman of the Authority, following the retirement of Mr. John Cartwright.Mrs. Meacher has served as a member of the Authority since 1994, and her previous posts include that of Adviser to the Chairman of the Russian Federal Employment Service; Mental Health Act Commissioner; Health Trust non-executive director; and director of Action Trust (now the Employment Policy Institute). Her appointment is for three years with effect from 1 February 1999.