---

Prisons: Woodhill

My Lords, as a former senior police officer I support the Government’s line on this: immediately the concerns were known, an inquiry was instituted. It is essential that that is done thoroughly and swiftly, and I am glad to know that we may have the answer within 14 days. I cannot imagine how exceptional the circumstances must have been to allow this to happen. I know the senior officer involved in the anti-terrorist enquiries, an assistant commissioner at New Scotland Yard and a man of probity, intelligence and absolute integrity. It is a mystery to me how this happened, and I look forward to the answer to the inquiry as much as any other Member of the House. As a former senior police officer, I support the fact that the Government have instituted this inquiry immediately. Will the inquiry also embrace the question of how the Sunday Times got this information? Was it bugging someone’s conversation?