Question to the Cabinet Office:

To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, pursuant to the oral evidence of Sir John Chilcot to the Foreign Affairs Committee on 4 February 2015, HC 1027, Questions 1 and 22, what criteria his Department uses to decide whether advice from government law officers to Ministers can be published in full or in part.

The Iraq Inquiry is independent of Government. Meetings held by the Inquiry, and the Maxwellisation process, are a matter for the Inquiry Committee.

A breakdown of costs incurred by the Inquiry, and information on the size and makeup of its Secretariat are published on the Inquiry’s website and updated after the end of each financial year. The Government has assured the Inquiry it would have the resources necessary to do its job properly.

The Iraq Inquiry has submitted requests to declassify material from government documents throughout the life of the Inquiry. Government considers each request once it has been received, under the terms of the Protocol between the Iraq Inquiry and Her Majesty’s Government regarding Documents and Other Written and Electronic Information, available through the Inquiry’s website.

In line with the practice of successive administrations, details of ministerial discussions are not normally disclosed.