Conduct Of The Attorney General And Accountability To Parliament

EDM number 949 in 1993-94, proposed by Llew Smith on 24/03/1994.

That this House notes with dismay that the Attorney General during question time on 21st March, Official Report, columns 13-14, refused to give substantive replies on public interest immunity certificates to the honourable Members for Birmingham, Perry Bar, Bolsover and Norwood on the grounds that he was to give evidence on this matter to Lord Justice Scott's inquiry on 24th March; further notes the Attorney General's refusal to assist Parliament was subsequently raised on a point of order by the honourable Member for Newport West, Official Report, column 22; contrasts this affront to Parliament with the Attorney General's highly publicised round of media interviews given on the specific subject matter of his evidence to Lord Justice Scott on BBC television, BBC radio and Independent Television News on 23rd March, the day before he appeared at the Scott inquiry; deplores his contemptuous treatment of the House; and calls for him to come to apologise to the House for his actions and then to resign forthwith.

This motion has been signed by a total of 43 MPs.