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Intelligence and Security Committee

The Foreign Secretary will know that in the Government's reply to the annual report for 2009-10, the Government state:""The Government is absolutely and fundamentally committed to robust and rigorous independent scrutiny of the intelligence and"" scrutiny committee. It so happens that in paragraphs R and S and the replies to them, there are severe strictures that the Chairman of the Committee did not mention regarding the independence and the distinct and separate role of the professional head of intelligence analysis. In the Government's reply and in an attempt to justify the situation, they say:""While it is true that the same individual holds both positions, the roles are distinct and can be performed in parallel without damaging the independence of the Deputy PHIA"." Does the Foreign Secretary not realise that that is a very serious criticism, as my right hon. and learned Friend the Member for Kensington and Chelsea (Sir Malcolm Rifkind) has said, and can he say why it is that the Government and the Committee are at loggerheads over this very important question?