Part of the debate – in the House of Lords at 4:40 pm on 1 April 2004.
My Lords, I repeat what I said before. We considered very carefully our obligation to ensure fairness to individuals. There are parts of the report which are redacted, as the noble and learned Lord knows, but we had to make a balanced judgment. As I said, we gave individuals notice of our intention to publish the report and offered them the opportunity to receive the relevant report in advance in confidence.
As to the point about individuals being interviewed, Justice Cory has made it absolutely clear in his foreword the procedure that was followed. He states:
"Given the preliminary and provisional nature of the task assigned to me, and the desirability of arriving at recommendations expeditiously, it was not necessary or appropriate for me to hear any oral evidence from the individuals referred to in my reports. Obviously, before any final findings of fact or determinations of responsibility could be made, it would be necessary for individuals to have an opportunity of answering any potential criticisms which may be made of them".
On that basis, the Government have agreed that there should be inquiries into the three cases.