Clause 18 - Provision of information to Board
Police (Northern Ireland) Bill [Lords]
8:55 am
Mr John Taylor (Solihull, Conservative)
I broadly support the Minister in resisting the amendment, but I urge her to reflect on a general rule of evidence. If a document were to be placed before the board, it would be difficult to fillet it and place part, and not the entirety, at the disposal of the board. The general rule of evidence is that if part of a document is an issue, the whole document is. In that respect, I support my hon. Friend the Member for Spelthorne. I think that, indirectly, I am supporting the Minister too. If there is both extraneous and dangerous material in a document, will the Chief Constable be put in the invidious position of having to place before the board part, not all, of the document?