Tag: Lord Hennessy of Nympsfield

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Hennessy of Nympsfield on 2016-09-05.

To ask Her Majesty’s Government what is the date most recently set for the declassification and release to the National Archives of the papers relating to Lord Denning’s Report on the Profumo affair, published in 1963 (Cmnd 2152).

Baroness Chisholm of Owlpen

The Cabinet Office has transferred the papers of Lord Denning’s Report into the Profumo Affair to the National Archives. I refer the noble Lord to their publicly-available catalogue, which states that that they will remain closed until 1 January 2048. This follows a decision by the Advisory Council on National Records and Archives.

This date reflects the fact that individuals mentioned in the Denning files are still alive, and Lord Denning gave assurances to those from whom he took evidence that the papers would never be published.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Hennessy of Nympsfield on 2015-12-22.

To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether the Ministry of Justice has drawn up any contingency plans for the adaptation of UK law in the event of a UK withdrawal from the EU, and if so, whether they will make those plans available to Parliament.

Lord Faulks

The Government is fighting hard to fix the aspects of the UK’s EU membership that cause so much frustration in Britain in order to get a better deal for Britain and secure our future. The Government is confident that the right agreement can be reached.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Hennessy of Nympsfield on 2016-02-29.

To ask Her Majesty’s Government how many extended ministerial offices have been established, and in which departments; which staff have been recruited to them; and which of those were drawn from outside the civil service.

Lord Bridges of Headley

Extended Ministerial Offices have been established (or are being established) in the Cabinet Office, the Department for Communities and Local Government, the Department for Education, the Department for the Environment, Food and Rural Affairs and the Scotland Office.

The government regularly publishes information on the job titles and pay grades of senior civil servants along with the numbers of staff they manage and the budgets they are responsible for. A similar approach will apply to staff in extended ministerial offices.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Hennessy of Nympsfield on 2016-04-27.

To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether the 100-year embargo on declassification of the papers of the 1963 Denning inquiry into the Profumo affair has been reduced to a shorter retention period.

Lord Bridges of Headley

I refer the Noble Lord to the answer given by my predecessor to his previous question on 13 December 2013. The Government is working with the National Archives to transfer the Denning papers to Kew. We will make a further announcement in due course.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Hennessy of Nympsfield on 2016-06-13.

To ask Her Majesty’s Government what assessment they have made of the recommendation of the report of the Hillsborough Independent Panel in September 2012 that police records in England and Wales should come under the Public Records Acts 1958 and 1967; and whether they intend to implement that recommendation through the current Policing and Crime Bill.

Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon

The Government is considering the options for achieving greater transparency and accessibility of police records in England and Wales, including whether to extend the Public Records Act 1958 to include police records.

No decision about implementation has been taken at this time, while careful consideration is given to potential administrative and cost burdens.