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Ministry of Defence

Answer

Mr. McNamara: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will (a) set out his reasons for issuing an injunction on 23 February 1998 concerning plans for publication of a book to have been entitled "Ten Thirty Three", by Mr. Nicholas Davies, and (b) ensure that no investigation or inquiry into the death of solicitor Patrick Finucane is prevented from having access to unpublished material that is in Mr. Davies's possession. [80601] Mr. Doug Henderson: An injunction was sought (and subsequently granted) because the manuscript contained material which, had it entered the public domain, would have been damaging to national security and could have posed serious risks to the safety of individuals referred to in the book. The murder of Patrick Finucane was investigated both by the RUC and subsequently by the investigation team led by John Stevens, then Deputy Chief Constable of Cambridgeshire. In the event of any future investigation into this case my Department would co-operate fully as we did with the earlier investigations including, where appropriate, over information held by third parties. In doing so the Ministry of Defence would continue to take into account our continuing duty to safeguard national security and the safety of individuals.

Secondary information

Type

Written question

Reference

80601; 329 c373-4W

Session

1998-99

Subjects

Disclosure of information Inquiries Homicide Injunctions Publications Finucane, Patrick Davies, Nicholas