Written question asked by David Amess (Conservative) on Thursday, 29 January 2004, in the House of Commons. It was due for an answer on Thursday, 5 February 2004. It was answered by Chris Leslie (Labour) on Thursday, 5 February 2004 on behalf of the Department for Constitutional Affairs.

Dept for Constitutional Affairs

Question: To ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Department for Constitutional Affairs, what selection procedure was followed for the appointment of Lord Hutton to oversee the Dr Kelly inquiry.

Answer: Mr. Amess: To ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Department for Constitutional Affairs what selection procedure was followed for the appointment of Lord Hutton to oversee the Dr. Kelly inquiry. [152676] Mr. Leslie: Where a Government decides it wishes to invite a senior judge to conduct an Inquiry, the Prime Minister invites the Lord Chancellor to recommend a suitable judge. This process was followed on this occasion, and, after consulting the senior judiciary, the Lord Chancellor proposed Lord Hutton and he accepted the appointment.

Secondary information