Northern Ireland Commissioner for Prison Complaints: exceptions etc. to Commissioner’s powers under section (Powers of Commissioner to obtain information)

‘(1) Subject to subsection (3), no person shall be compelled by virtue of this Part to give any evidence or do any other thing which that person could not be compelled to do in civil proceedings before the High Court.

(2) No obligation to maintain secrecy or other restriction on the disclosure of information obtained by or provided to persons in Her Majesty’s service, whether imposed by or under any enactment or by any rule of law, applies in relation to an investigation.

(3) The Crown is not entitled in relation to an investigation to any privilege in respect of the production of documents or of the giving of evidence as would otherwise be allowed in legal proceedings.

(4) No person shall be compelled or authorised by virtue of this Part—

(a) to provide any information relating to proceedings of the Cabinet or of any Committee of the Cabinet; or

(b) to produce any document relating to such proceedings.

(5) For this purpose a certificate which—

(a) is issued by the Secretary of the Cabinet with the approval of the Prime Minister, and

(b) certifies that any information or document (or part of a document) relates to any proceedings mentioned in subsection (2),

is conclusive of the matters certified.

(6) In this section “investigation” means any investigation under this Part.’.—[Maria Eagle.]

Brought up, read the First and Second time, and added to the Bill.